Tchaikovsky was ideally equipped to write the music for the ballet Swan Lake. His gift for vivid theatricality, for lively, memorable melodies, and for rich characterization was allied to a mastery of dance rhythms. These qualities were augmented by his command of orchestral color. And yet early performances were disappointingly received. It was only after some structural and choreographic revisions in 1895, two years after the composer's death, that the work was fully appreciated for the masterpiece that it is. For four years Dmitry Yablonsky has been Principal Guest Conductor of Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and has conducted many other orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, collaborating with leading soloists. He has made more than seventy recordings, many of them prizewinning, as conductor and cellist for Naxos.