The second volume of the Tchaikovsky Cycle has the Second Symphony ("Little Russian"), in my opinion the least inspired of the early symphonies, often nervous or noisy and musically not really cohesive. The performance is certainly exciting, especially in the powerfully played finale, but I will not return to it soon. This is a matter of preference and should not deter you if you like the score. Eight excerpts from the composer's only famous opera Eugene Onegin (based on Pushkin's novel) are included. The soloists, Lydia Shernikh (soprano) and Alexander Nenadovsky (baritone), are excellent, perfectly at home in this piece, and the original Russian text does much more justice to the musical flow than the various translations. The audience responds enthusiastically.