Recently I picked up a CD with Boris (!) Tchaikovskys 2nd symphony, written in 1967 (Russian Disk RDCD 11063, Kiril Kondrashin, Moscow PO). Tchaikovsky was born 1925 in Moscow (he died in 1996). From 1942-1949 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory (composition under Shostakovich, Shebalin and Miaskovsky; piano under Oborin). He writes in a kind of Shostakovichian style mostly tonal but sometimes crossing the borders to a more unorthodox harmony (I would not call it atonal). He composed among other works four symphonies and concertos for cello, violin and piano. The second symphony is a huge work (50 minutes) in three sets. I would say this music is not too far from Shostakovich, but has some characteristic features that are not uninteresting. I like especially the colourful first set with its impressive orchestration (solo parts for harp and celesta) which is full of citations (e.g. Mozarts clarinet quintet). An interesting composer and another one who would deserve more attention! Achim Breiling