Cellist Gabriel Schwabe and the Aachen Symphonic Orchestra, conductor Christopher Ward. Tchaikovsky - CD Review, May 22^nd, 2026

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Valse Sentimentale Op. 51 (arranged for cello and orchestra by Gabriel Schwabe), Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 in A major, Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture.

Premiere album, released on May 8^th

This CD was recorded by German cellist Gabriel Schwabe and the Aachen Symphonic Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Christopher Ward - the musical director of this esteemed German ensemble since 2018. The album features representative compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, the Fantasy-Overture "Romeo and Juliet" and four short pieces for cello and orchestra. The recordings were made în 2018 and 2025 at the Eurogress Hall in Aachen, Germany, and were released under the Naxos label.

Soloist - the exceptional cellist Gabriel Scwabe, a laureate of prestigious competitions in Berlin, Paris and London. He studied with both Cătălin Ilea, the Romanian cellist at Universität der Künste in Berlin and with Frans Helmerson at Kronberg Academy; he hasperformred in concertsalongside renowned orchestras such as the Philharmonia in London, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Radio Orchestras of Vienna and Berlin; moreover, he is a professor at the Lübeck Music Academy and plays aprecious Guarneri instrument crafted in 1695, in Cremona.