Interview: Semyon Bychkov on Tchaikovsky’s “Manfred” For CSO's Sounds & Stories | April 2018 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Semyon Bychkov professes a boundless devotion to the music of Tchaikovsky. “Tchaikovsky somehow ensures that when one hears a melody, one doesn’t forget it,” said the Russian-born conductor of his countryman.