About this edition
Compiled from Tchaikovsky's 1889 ballet masterpiece, the Sleeping Beauty Suite, Op. 66a distills the symphonic riches of one of the composer's most ambitious stage works into five concert movements. The suite showcases Tchaikovsky at the height of his orchestral imagination — from the brooding menace of Carabosse's curse to the shimmering Panorama, the iconic Waltz, and the brilliant character dances of the final act. For conductors and orchestras, it remains an essential vehicle for displaying both lyrical refinement and virtuoso color, condensing the grandeur of the full ballet into a roughly twenty-minute concert work.
This printing reproduces the full score originally issued by P. Jurgenson of Moscow (plate 25237, 1899), with the subsequent Hamburg reprint by D. Rahter circa 1900. Jurgenson was Tchaikovsky's principal publisher throughout his career, working closely with the composer and his estate, and the Jurgenson editions of the ballets and orchestral works form the foundation of the Tchaikovsky publication tradition. As the first edition of the suite in full score, this engraving carries direct authority as a primary source and remains a valuable reference alongside later scholarly editions.
About this edition:
- Full orchestral score (conductor's score), not a study miniature
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches, printed for clear desk-stand reading
- Faithfully reproduced from a public domain historical source
- First edition reprint of the Jurgenson 1899 engraving (plate 25237), with Rahter Hamburg reissue
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing, specializing in carefully prepared reprints of historic orchestral scores
This edition makes a historically significant public domain score readily available to today's conductors, orchestral players, students, and scholars. We're delighted to help keep these classic engravings on music stands and library shelves where they belong.
