Beethoven's Septet, although a relatively early work and still far from the intense passions and robust drama that so strongly characterize his later works, was one of his most popular works during his lifetime – and remains so today, thanks to the freshness of its themes and the liveliness of the «plot» among its performers. Something similar is also true for Tchaikovsky's Sextet, only in this case the composer, at the end of his life, searches for his lost innocence in the immortal Italian melodiousness while simultaneously diving into the turbulent depths of his passionate Russian soul.