by Barry Lenson
Heroic and Troubled in Life, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Stands at the Pinnacle of Romantic Russian Music
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, born on May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk, Russia, is indisputably one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. His six symphonies and four orchestral suites are beautiful and masterfully made, truly unlike anything else. The same can be said for his ballets The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty, which remain immensely popular today with ballet companies and the public. His first Piano Concerto (of the three he wrote) and lone Violin Concerto are certainly among the greatest, most emotional, and most quintessentially romantic compositions of the 19th Century.
He was a great composer of operas too. His Eugene Onegin, based on a story by Alexander Pushkin, is arguably the greatest Russian opera ever written, (though a case can be made for Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov). And then let’s not overlook Queen of Spades, which will be performed at the Metropolitan Opera this season. With its interwoven themes of gambling and the supernatural, it is unlike any other opera ever written.
So who was this absolutely amazing composer? We know a lot about him, but even so, he remains somewhat enigmatic. Tchaikovsky and his brother Modest (who collaborated with him on Queen of Spades, Iolanta and other operas) both faced many personal struggles surrounding their homosexuality, which they felt compelled to conceal due to the societal norms of his time.
You might argue that we shouldn’t concern ourselves with Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality, we need only focus on his extraordinary music. Still, his life was so affected by societal prejudices against gay people at the time, that we can hardly consider his life or music without considering his sexual orientation.
A Life of Extraordinary Accomplishment
Tchaikovsky began piano lessons at the age of five. At the insistence of his parents, he studied law at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in St. Petersburg. But his passion for music led him to enroll at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied with Anton Rubinstein. It would not be an exaggeration to observe that his talent exploded in the Conservatory and from there, upon the entire musical world.
Throughout his career, Tchaikovsky composed a wide range of works, including symphonies, operas, ballets, chamber music, and concertos. While his compositions often drew inspiration from Russian folk music and literature, he elevated them to a level of sophistication that rivaled the works of the greatest non-Russian European composers, including Brahms, Dvorak and Grieg.
Tchaikovsky’s personal life was marked by periods of depression and emotional turmoil. To conceal his homosexuality he married one of his students, Antonina Miliukova, in 1877. She was nine years younger than he, and the marriage quickly ended in separation, though they never divorced. After suffering a nervous collapse, Tchaikovsky went to Switzerland for a time to recover. Historians have generally overlooked the question of how severely Antonina must have suffered from this disastrous marriage. Despite his personal struggles, Tchaikovsky continued to compose prolifically and achieved great success both in Russia and internationally.
An Enigmatic Relationship Lived through Letters
His unfortunate wife was not the only woman in Tchaikovsky’s life. He also exchanged more than 1,200 letters with an older woman, Nadezhda von Meck, a wealthy widow and patron who supported him financially and emotionally for 14 years. Despite their close relationship, they never met in person, as von Meck insisted on maintaining their relationship strictly through letters. Von Meck’s support allowed Tchaikovsky to focus on his compositions without financial worries.
Tchaikovsky’s Death
Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893, in St. Petersburg. While his death is generally ascribed to cholera, some have speculated that he may have taken his own life.
Tchaikovsky Compositions Available for Listening on Classical Archives*
The Classical Archives library contains hundreds of his works. So much to explore! But we would like to offer you the following sampling of what are arguably his most important works.
Symphonies
Symphony No. 1 in G minor, “Winter Dreams”
Symphony No. 2 in C minor, “Little Russian”
Symphony No. 3 in D major, “Polish”
Symphony No. 6 in B minor, “Pathétique”
Orchestral Suites
Suite No. 2, “Characteristique”
Other Orchestral Works
Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Concertos
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor
Ballets
Operas
Chamber Music
* Please note that to listen, you must be a member of Classical Archives. We invite you to join today. Free 14-day trial memberships are available.
Recent Comments