Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk on 7 May 1840. At the age of four he began piano lessons, and showed great talent, but his parents decided to have him trained for a career as a civil servant, and sent him away at the age of ten to study. In 1854 his mother died from cholera, and a few weeks after this, Tchaikovsky wrote a waltz in her memory - his first serious attempt at composition. He graduated from school in 1859 and spent three years in the civil service. In his spare time he took music theory classes from Nikolai Zaremba, and followed Zaremba to the St Petersburg Conservatory. When his father agreed to support him, Tchaikovsky gave up his job and from 1862 he studied harmony, counterpoint and fugue with Zaremba and instrumentation and composition with the conservatory's director and founder, Anton Rubinstein, who was impressed by the young man's talent. On graduation he was given a teaching job at the Moscow Conservatory by Nikolai Rubinstein, Anton's younger brother. He steered an independent path, away from Mily Balakirev's nationalistic ideas and the conservative faction at the conservatories, although his first major achievement - the fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet, was the result of a working relationship with Balakirev. He was married briefly to a former student, Antonina Millukova, but most scholars believe that he was gay. From 1877 until 1890 he received financial support from Nadezhda von Meck, a wealthy widow and patron of the arts, and they wrote more than 1,200 letters to each other. Tchaikovsky became well-known outside of Russia, but was classed as something of a renegade within his own country, until 1880, when the prevailing wind changed, and things began to go well for him. His music is generally cosmopolitan, but often includes Russian traditional tunes and dance forms. Tchaikovsky died in St Petersburg on 6 November 1893, just a few days after the first performance of his Symphony No 6, the Pathétique. The cause of his death is usually attributed to cholera, possibly from drinking contaminated drinking water, but some believe that he killed himself.
A selection of M&V articles about Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Ensemble. Something Magical - Andris Nelsons conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, heard by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Crystalline Lightness - A Symphony of the Americas concert, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen
Ensemble. Too Good to Miss - Robert Hugill was at the first night of Tchaikovsky's 'The Tsarina's Slippers' at Covent Garden
Ensemble. Life-enhancing - Mike Wheeler listens to the Atrium Quartet
Ensemble. A Standout Production - New Zealand Opera's 'Eugene Onegin' impresses Howard Smith
Ensemble. Brilliantly Festive - Mike Wheeler listens to the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra
CD Spotlight. Deft and Brilliant - Sibelius orchestral music, recommended by Robert Anderson. '... in the safest of hands.'
CD Spotlight. Utterly Absorbing - A sampler from Cedille Records, enjoyed by Howard Smith. '... top quality standards.'
Bizarre Perception - Alistair Hinton discusses a recent article on English music by David Hamilton
Ask Alice - On gentle Harvey Shapiro and the pressure of New York, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh
Ask Alice - On orchestral horn solos and funding cuts, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh
CD Spotlight. An Undisturbed Evenness - Choral music 'from a Russian cathedral', heard by Paul Sarcich. '... engineered to tranquillity ...'
Life and Other Distractions - Béla Hartmann writes about the relevance of biography to an appreciation of the arts
Ensemble. Lightness and Transparency - New World Symphony, the American orchestral academy, ends its season with an all-Tchaikovsky programme, reported by Lawrence Budmen
CD Spotlight. Consistently Refined - Debussy transcriptions, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... these alternatives are never less than striking ...'
Ensemble. A Superb Team - Haydn, Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky from Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, heard by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. A Delightful Afternoon - Lawrence Budmen listens to the Chameleon Musicians
Ensemble. Full of Vitality - Glinka, Tchaikovsky and Schubert from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, reviewed by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Energy and Imagination - Beethoven from Louis Lortie, Kurt Masur and the Cleveland Orchestra, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen
CD Spotlight. Fire and Magic - Richard Stoltzman's 'Phoenix in Flight', recommended by Malcolm Tattersall. '... meltingly beautiful ...'
Ensemble. Rousing Performance - Mendelssohn, Ravel, Larsen and Tchaikovsky in South Florida, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen
DVD Spotlight. Perfectly Cast - The Sleeping Beauty, recommended by Howard Smith. '... utterly enchanting ...'
Ensemble. Grandly Romantic - Vadim Gluzman on stage with the Boca Raton Symphonia, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen
CD Spotlight. Fascinating Rarities - Taneyev string trios, heard by Julian Jacobson. '... a performance of real commitment and assurance ...'
Ensemble. Inner Detail - Beethoven and Tchaikovsky from Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, enjoyed by Mike Wheeler
Record Box. Great Entertainment - Stokowski conducts ballet music, heard by Patric Standford
CD Spotlight. A Memorable Disc - Vadim Gluzman plays Tchaikovsky and Glazunov, enjoyed by Robert Anderson. 'Vadim Gluzman is a violinist of remarkable gifts.'
Ensemble. The Swinging Spotlight - David Wilkins experiences Tchaikovsky's 'Eugene Onegin' in Budapest
Ensemble. An Attractive Freshness - Celebrations in Derby, reviewed by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Wonderfully Refreshing - Antoni Wit and the Warsaw Philharmonic on tour impress Mike Wheeler
CD Spotlight. An Intellectual Force - Piano music by Sergei Taneyev, reviewed by Ron Bierman. 'Performances are expert and loving throughout ...'
Ensemble. Sensitively Attuned - Dvorák, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky from the Burlington Piano Trio, by Mike Wheeler
CD Spotlight. Enjoyable Colours - Russian music from Stokowski, reviewed by Patric Standford. 'The recordings do not show half a century of wear ...'
Ensemble. Beautiful Playing - More chamber music from the south west of Ireland, enjoyed by Kelly Ferjutz
Ensemble. Fine Playing - The Czech National Symphony on tour, reviewed by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Eloquent Performance - A concert by Sinfonia Viva, enjoyed by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. A Valentine Extravaganza - Julian Jacobson in the first of his orchestral Valentine Extravaganzas, enjoyed by Malcolm Troup
Ensemble. Zip and Sparkle? - The Munich Symphony Orchestra on tour, reviewed by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Captivating Delicacy - Igor Tchetuev plays Tchaikovsky, enjoyed by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. A masterclass in performing Mozart - A concert by Stephen Hough, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra delighted Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. A Chinese Wunderkind - Nine-year-old Niu Niu's Wigmore Hall début, admired by Malcolm Troup
DVD Spotlight. A Question of Taste - Béjart's 'Nutcracker', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... bears little relation to Tchaikovsky's music ...'
CD Spotlight. Heightened Intimacy - Russian Romantic songs, enjoyed by Howard Smith. '... magically touching musicianship ...'
CD Spotlight. Fine Indeed - Stokowski symphonic transcriptions, recommended by Howard Smith. '... an unqualified testament to Stokowski's magic.'
Ensemble. Important Revelations - A gala concert presented by Arizona Opera, reviewed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Delicacy and Tenderness - The Russian State Philharmonic in Derby, reviewed by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Style and concept - Two young pianists of outstanding promise, by Bill Newman
Ensemble. A fine sound - A concert by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, reviewed by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Artistic vision - Russian artists bring soul to Shostokovich, by Lawrence Budmen
Ensemble. Symphonic structure - The Hallé Orchestra plays Vaughan Williams in Derby, reviewed by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Contrasting pianists - by Bill Newman
Timings - thoughts about the quirkiness of some of music's hidden secrets - The Clarens Connection, by Jennifer Paull
Ensemble. A musical homecoming - New World Symphony alumni return to Miami Beach for a special concert, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen
CD Spotlight. Interlinking resonances - A song recital by Malena Ernman, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... lively and charmingly refreshing ...'
CD Spotlight. Ravishing colloquy - Orchestral music by Tchaikovsky, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... sumptuous and highly disciplined playing ...
CD Spotlight. Valued archives - Stokowski and the classic Columbias, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... a powerful performance ...'
Ensemble. Glistening quality - Christian Tetzlaff plays Brahms, reviewed by Lawrence Budmen
Ensemble. Grand guignol - Tchaikovsky's 'The Enchantress' at Grange Park, reviewed by Robert Hugill
Ensemble. Emotional sound - Tess Crebbin and Sissy von Kotzebue review a Ben Heppner recital in Munich
Ensemble. An eclectic program - Lawrence Budmen is impressed by Canadian/Armenian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian
Provocative thoughts, from Patric Standford - Russophiles
CD Spotlight. Life and strife - Fritz Reiner's Tchaikovsky, reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... Reiner's no-nonsense approach avoids any hint of emotional excess.'
Ensemble. An imposing start - David Thompson was at the First Night of the BBC Proms in London.
CD Spotlight. An indelible impression - Ewa Podles sings Russian songs and arias, appreciated by Maria Nockin. '... incredibly well done ...'
CD Spotlight. Tender longing - Daniil Shtoda sings Russian songs, reviewed by David Wilkins. '... wonderfully expressive ...'
CD Spotlight. Pointing the way - A chamber-music quality 'Nutcracker', with Ron Bierman. '... closer to what Tchaikovsky had in mind.'
Ensemble. An ambitious concert - Rex Harley listens to Tchaikovsky, Lutoslawski and Szymanowski in Wales
Ensemble. Compelling musicianship - A recital by Ildikó Iván and Tamás Vásáry, reported by Malcolm Miller
Ensemble. Hour of Magic - Malcolm Miller is enthralled by seldom-heard East European music
Unbreakable spirit - Galina Aleykina reports on a concert at the Ukraine National Opera House in memory of the events of September 11th
Ensemble - imperial grandeur. Roderic Dunnett is impressed with a new production of 'The Queen of Spades'
MV3, with Gordon Rumson and Keith Bramich - M&V's monthly visit to the world of online music investigates the 'avant-garde'
MV3, with Gordon Rumson and Keith Bramich - M&V's monthly visit to the world of online music
Record box - Trawling for treasure. Bill Newman seeks out Golden Age performers now reinstated on CD. BBC Legends and Beecham
Second sight. Music with Wilfrid Mellers. - Private passion and public hauteur. Reporting on Opera North's current production of 'Eugene Onegin'
Planning your collection - William Primrose -
Summer Opera Reviews - Roderic Dunnett looks back at a thumping good summer for opera festivals in Britain and Ireland. Read from part 1 - Castleward, Wexford and Stowe
Dance of death - Roderic Dunnett marvels at Welsh National Opera's 'Queen of Spades'
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