Borzhom

Tchaikovsky Research
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.


Borjomi (ბორჯომი) is a resort town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia.

During Tchaikovsky's lifetime it was known as Borzhom (Боржом), and formed part of the Gory district (Горийский уезд) of Tiflis province (Тифлисская губерния) in the Russian Empire.

Tchaikovsky in Borzhom

Tchaikovsky stayed at Borzhom between 13/25 June and 6/18 July 1887, travelling with his brother Anatoly. On doctors' advice, he stayed at Borzhom to take in the spring waters in order to benefit his health.

He worked very successfully on the orchestration of his Suite No. 4, completing at least two of its four movements there. He also wrote the chorus Blessed is He Who Smiles, and made preliminary sketches for the sextet Souvenir de Florence.

On leaving Borzhom, he wrote that "In my opinion this is one of the most strangely wonderful places in the world" [1].

External Links

Notes and References

  1. Letter 3274 to Emiliya Pavlovskaya, 23 July/4 August 1887.