Yekaterina Laroche

Third wife of Tchaikovsky's friend Herman Laroche, and also a close friend of the composer (d. 5/18 December 1904) ; born Yekaterina Ivanovna Sinelnikova (Екатерина Ивановна Синельникова); known after her marriage as Yekaterina Ivanovna Larosh (Екатерина Ивановна Ларош).

Tchaikovsky and Yekaterina Laroche

Yekaterina came from a family of important bankers and landowners in Yekaterinoslav province, and was acquainted with Tchaikovsky even before her marriage to his friend in 1889. They were very close during the last years of the composer's life, and often travelled abroad together.

Dedications

In 1893, Tchaikovsky dedicated his piano piece Dialogue — No. 8 of the Eighteen Pieces, Op. 72 — to Yekaterina Laroche.

Bibliography

• Неизвестное письмо Чайковского к Е. И. Ларош-Синельниковой (2003)
• Yolanda, la última ópera de Tchaikovsky (2009)
• A previously unknown letter by Čajkovskij from June 3, 1891 to Ekaterina I. Laroš (2010)

Correspondence with Tchaikovsky

28 letters from Tchaikovsky to Yekaterina Laroche have survived, dating from 1881 to 1893, of which those highlighted in bold have been translated into English on this website:

• Letter 1666 – 17/29 January 1881, from Moscow
• Letter 3704 – 19/31 October 1888, from Frolovskoye
• Letter 3892 – 30 June/12 July 1889, from Frolovskoye
• Letter 3969 – 4/16 November 1889, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Yekaterina and her husband Herman Laroche)
• Letter 4008 – 18/30 January 1890, from Florence (addressed jointly to Yekaterina and her husband Herman Laroche)
• Letter 4016 – 28 January/9 February 1890, from Florence (addressed jointly to Yekaterina and her husband Herman Laroche)
• Letter 4038 – 15/27 February 1890, from Florence
• Letter 4208 – 26 August/7 September 1890, from Kamenka
• Letter 4217 – 15/27 September 1890, from Tiflis
• Letter 4265 – between 4/16 and 10/22 December 1890, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 4267a – 6/18 December 1890, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 4271 – between 8/20 and 10/22 December 1890 (?), from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 4320 – 1/13 February 1891, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 4350 – 15/27 March 1891, from Paris
• Letter 4356 – 24 March/5 April 1891, from Paris
• Letter 4394a – 3/15 June 1891, from Maydanovo
• Letter 4437 – 8/20 July 1891, from Maydanovo
• Letter 4504 – 8/20 October 1891, from Maydanovo
• Letter 4551 – 14/26 November 1891, from Maydanovo
• Letter 4604a – 25 January/6 February 1892, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 4618 – 13/25 February 1892, from Moscow
• Letter 4739 – 22 July/3 August 1892, from Klin
• Letter 4802a – 9/21 November 1892, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 4845 – 7/19 January 1893, from Paris
• Letter 4917 – 15/27 April 1893, from Klin
• Letter 4995 – 1/13 August 1893, from Klin
• Letter 5002a – 6/18 August 1893, from Klin
• Letter 5006a – 11/23 August 1893, from Klin

30 letters from Yekaterina Laroche to the composer are preserved in the Klin House-Museum Archive.