Probably composed in the early months of 1877, the VALSE SCHERZO, OP. 34, occupies an important position in the oeuvre of Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) as it prepared him to begin work on the Violin Concerto in D the following year. Swept into a whirlwind romance with violinist Iosif Kotek, to whom he dedicated the work, he found the impetus to write it after the former student showed him the score of �douard Lalo�s Symphony Espagnole. It premiered at Trocadero Hall in Paris on September 21, 1878, with Nikolai Rubinstein conducting and Stanislaw Barcewicz as the soloist. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.0.0.0: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Violin.