Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Anton Arensky
John Barbirolli conducts the string section of the London Symphony Orchestra. This 1964 recording includes the famous Serenade by Tchaikovsky, and a set of variations by Arensky. A great admirer of Tchaikovsky, Arensky dedicated him a string quartet the year after his death, using as a main theme one of his melodies. The slow movement was so successful that he decided to turn it into this beautiful set of variations for strings.