Of the composers I've tried so far, I'm definitely the most underwhelmed by Tchaikovsky, and this time, I don't think it's just a matter of accessibility or having to understand/warm up to it. I found it surprisingly accessible and easy to listen to, it just doesn't quite do it for me, although I wouldn't say it's outright bad or anything. It's very catchy, memorable, and technically competent (the latter of which is pretty much going to be a given every time with this stuff), but everything just had an underlying sense of cheesy soundtrack-y grandiose melodrama to it that put a ceiling on its appeal for me. I liked what Symphony No. 6 was going for, though.
1. Symphony No. 6 (Pathetique) by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky (Mravinsky) - 2.5 or 3.0 (Good/Very Good)
2. Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky (Karajan) - 2.5 (Good)
3. Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky (Argerich) - 2.0 (Positive)
4. Violin Concerto by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky (Stern) - 1.5 (Neutral)
5. Symphony No. 5 by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky (Mravinsky) - 1.5 (Neutral)
6. Swan Lake Suite by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky (Karajan) - 1.5 (Neutral)
7. 1812 Overture by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky (Dorati) - 1.5 (Neutral)
8. Romeo & Juliet by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky (Abbado) - 1.0 (Negative)
Also...
Syro by Aphex Twin - 4.0 (Flawless)
Surfing on Sine Waves by Aphex Twin (Polygon Window) - 2.0 (Positive)
Xylem Tube by Aphex Twin - 1.5 or 2.0 (Positive)
Joyrex 4 & 5 by Aphex Twin (Caustic Window) - 1.5 (Neutral)
Analogue Bubblebath by Aphex Twin (AFX) - 1.0 (Negative) (just skimmed through these ones)
Syro, which seemed to have so-so critical reception, continues to grow on me (this is blasphemy, but I actually like it more than Selected Ambient Works 85-92 now), while I do not for the life of me understand why so many hardcore Aphex Twin fans consider these other side-project albums to be among his best work or anywhere close to better than his mainline stuff. A lot of it sounds technically accomplished but repetitive (not in the good way), uninspired, and lacking in soul/charm, to my ears, at least compared to the mainline studio albums.