Marche Slave

Marche Slave is one of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s most popular and well-known pieces, frequently performed by orchestras of all levels throughout the world. It was commissioned by the Russian Musical Society in 1876 to benefit the Red Cross Society and support the benefits of wounded Serbian veterans. A very programmatic composition, it depicts the events surrounding the Serbo-Turkish War (1876 78), where Russia openly supported Serbia. Tchaikovsky referred to the piece as his "Serbo-Russian March" while writing it and the premiere took place in Moscow on November 17, 1876.