Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Romanticism

He was the first Russian composer of world rank.

💡 Did you know? Tchaikovsky masterfully combined Western symphonic form with Russian melody and an unmistakable leaning towards melancholy.

Russia

Born in 1840 in Votkinsk in the Urals; before music he worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of Justice.

💡 Did you know? Tchaikovsky began as a civil servant in the Ministry of Justice: only at 23 did he give up the secure career for music.

Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker

To this day the most danced ballets in the world.

💡 Did you know? Tchaikovsky raised ballet to a wholly new musical level; his three great ballets are still the most performed in the world.

The Nutcracker

Premiered in 1892: featuring the 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' and the 'Waltz of the Flowers'.

💡 Did you know? „The Nutcracker“, with its „Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy“, is a Christmas fixture worldwide, for the fairy's heavenly sound Tchaikovsky used the then brand-new celesta.

B-flat minor

Its dedicatee Nikolai Rubinstein first dismissed it as 'unplayable': it became a worldwide success.

💡 Did you know? The very pianist to whom Tchaikovsky meant to dedicate his 1st Piano Concerto panned it as „unplayable“: today it is one of the most beloved of all.

the victory over Napoleon

The score actually calls for real cannons: often used in open-air performances.

💡 Did you know? The „1812 Overture“ celebrates Russia's victory over Napoleon with real cannon fire and bells: Tchaikovsky himself thought it „loud and noisy“.

Eugene Onegin

Tatyana's letter scene is one of the great moments of Russian opera.

💡 Did you know? „Eugene Onegin“ after Pushkin is regarded as Tchaikovsky's most perfect opera: a deeply personal story of missed love.

Nadezhda von Meck

Her allowance came with the condition that they never meet in person: they exchanged more than 1,200 letters.

💡 Did you know? For 13 years the wealthy widow Nadezhda von Meck supported Tchaikovsky generously: at her own wish, the two never met in person.

Pathétique

He died nine days after its 1893 premiere: its finale fades to pianissimo, like a farewell.

💡 Did you know? His 6th Symphony „Pathétique“ ends unusually in deep despair rather than triumph: just nine days after its premiere Tchaikovsky was dead.

Carnegie Hall

He conducted his own works at the opening festival and marvelled at American hospitality.

💡 Did you know? For the opening of New York's Carnegie Hall in 1891, Tchaikovsky was invited as a world-famous guest star to conduct.

his homosexuality

The conflict fed his lifelong depression; a hasty marriage collapsed within weeks.

💡 Did you know? As a homosexual in strictly conservative Russia, Tchaikovsky lived in constant fear of exposure: a source of his deep inner turmoil.

St Petersburg

Officially of cholera: the exact circumstances of his death are debated to this day.

💡 Did you know? Tchaikovsky died in 1893 soon after the „Pathétique“: officially of cholera, though speculation about a possible suicide persists.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Tchaikovsky was a Russian Romantic composer whose ballets, symphonies and concertos are among the most beloved in the world.

💡 Did you know? For 13 years he was supported by a wealthy patroness whom, at her wish, he never met in person.

Swan Lake

The mournful oboe theme from Tchaikovsky's ballet: the emblem of the enchanted swan.

💡 Did you know? ‘Swan Lake’ too was panned at its 1877 premiere and only became a hit after Tchaikovsky's death.

1812 Overture

The triumphant overture celebrates the victory over Napoleon: its finale even calls for real cannon fire.

💡 Did you know? Open-air performances still fire real cannons for it today.