Sergei Rachmaninov had met and conversed with Tchaikovsky at Zverevs home at the Moscow Conservatory, and Sergei was probably careful when dealing with the older composer. Now with Tchaikovsky dead, Sergei wrote a chamber work to commemorate the composer.
A decade before, when Tchaikovsky was teaching at the Conservatory under Nikolai Rubinstein, who had preceded Zverev as head honcho, Old Nick had died suddenly. In response, Pete wrote his Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in A minor, one of the monuments of the Russian chamber repertory.
Sergeis single movement Elegiac Trio from his student days was such a blatant ripoff of Tchaikovskys trio that he didnt bother to attempt publication. Wise move! Now with Pete gone, Sergei decided to write a second Elegiac Trio in three movements as a tribute to Tchaikovsky himself. As a result, it didnt hurt that this piece sounded a lot like the late master.
This is a 45 minute piece, a bit long for my taste, so set aside time, preferably with a strong drink. Anything with vodka will do. I prefer tomato juice, Tobasco and Worcestershire, with just a touch of bitters.