Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Born in 1840 in Votkinsk, he was a sensitive and talented child. He wrote his first piece at the age of 14, a waltz dedicated to his teacher. He studied in St. Petersburg under A. Rubinstein and N. I. Zaremba, but during that time, the lack of personality in his works meant that they did not receive much support. From this period come works such as the symphonic poem 'Fatum' or the Symphony No. 1 in G minor 'Winter Daydreams'.
In the 1870s, his compositions took on their own, personal color and a somewhat melancholic style. These include works such as Symphony No. 2 in C minor 'Little Russian' and Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor.
Thanks to the support of patroness Nadezhda von Meck, Tchaikovsky was able to travel, gaining supporters even at the court of Tsar Alexander II, and devote all his time to composition. His most original and beautiful works come from this period, primarily ballets such as 'Swan Lake', 'Cinderella', 'The Sleeping Beauty', 'The Nutcracker', operas such as 'Eugene Onegin', 'The Queen of Spades', and the last three symphonies: 'Manfred Symphony', Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Symphony No. 6 in B minor 'Pathétique', which best reveals the complexity of the artist's personality, his inner dramas, including his acknowledged homosexuality and depression. On the day of the premiere of this symphony in 1893, a cholera epidemic was declared, and in the same year in St. Petersburg, the artist died.
Although Tchaikovsky's early works were slightly abstract, over time the spirit of Romanticism began to appear in them. Moreover, despite living in the same period as 'The Mighty Handful', this composer's works cannot be classified under the dominant style of Russian nationalism at that time. Tchaikovsky wrote cosmopolitan, personal, and expressive works, which were significantly influenced by German symphonism, but that does not mean that there was no place for Russian elements in the artist's music.

We encourage you to listen to the IV Symphony performed by the Orchestra Teatro alla Scala from Milan.

We also recommend 'The Nutcracker' performed by the Kirov Ballet St Petersburg.

Next, the Kirov Ballet St Petersburg presents 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' from 'The Nutcracker'.

And here is a slightly different version of this ballet - Hovedøen Social Club & Kringkastingsorkesteret (KORK) performing the same piece in a Cuban style.

And now a more jazzy version of the same piece performed by the Chizhik Jazz Quartet.