Born: May 7, 1840; Russia
Died: Nov 6, 1893; Russia
Period: Romantic
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky was the author of some of the most popular themes in all of classical music. He founded no school, struck out no new paths or compositional methods, and sought few innovations in his works. Yet the power and communicative sweep of his best music elevates it to classic status, even if it lacks the formal boldness and harmonic sophistication heard in the compositions of his contemporaries, Wagner and Bruckner. It wasRead more Tchaikovsky's unique melodic charm that could, whether in his Piano Concerto No. 1 or in his ballet The Nutcracker or in his tragic last symphony, make the music sound familiar on first hearing.
Tchaikovsky was born into a family of five brothers and one sister. He began taking piano lessons at age four and showed remarkable talent, eventually surpassing his own teacher's abilities. By age nine, he exhibited severe nervous problems, not least because of his overly sensitive nature. The following year, he was sent to St. Petersburg to study at the School of Jurisprudence. The loss of his mother in 1854 dealt a crushing blow to the young Tchaikovsky. In 1859, he took a position in the Ministry of Justice, but longed for a career in music, attending concerts and operas at every opportunity. He finally began study in harmony with Zaremba in 1861, and enrolled at the St. Petersburg Conservatory the following year, eventually studying composition with Anton Rubinstein.
In 1866, the composer relocated to Moscow, accepting a professorship of harmony at the new conservatory, and shortly afterward turned out his First Symphony, suffering, however, a nervous breakdown during its composition. His opera The Voyevoda came in 1867-1868 and he began another, The Oprichnik, in 1870, completing it two years later. Other works were appearing during this time, as well, including the First String Quartet (1871), the Second Symphony (1873), and the ballet Swan Lake (1875).
In 1876, Tchaikovsky traveled to Paris with his brother, Modest, and then visited Bayreuth, where he met Liszt, but was snubbed by Wagner. By 1877, Tchaikovsky was an established composer. This was the year of Swan Lake's premiere and the time he began work on the Fourth Symphony (1877-1878). It was also a time of woe: in July, Tchaikovsky, despite his homosexuality, foolishly married Antonina Ivanovna Milyukova, an obsessed admirer, their disastrous union lasting just months. The composer attempted suicide in the midst of this episode. Near the end of that year, Nadezhda von Meck, a woman he would never meet, became his patron and frequent correspondent.
Further excursions abroad came in the 1880s, along with a spate of successful compositions, including the Serenade for Strings (1881), 1812 Overture (1882), and the Fifth Symphony (1888). In both 1888 and 1889, Tchaikovsky went on successful European tours as a conductor, meeting Brahms, Grieg, Dvorák, Gounod, and other notable musical figures. Sleeping Beauty was premiered in 1890, and The Nutcracker in 1892, both with success.
Throughout Tchaikovsky's last years, he was continually plagued by anxiety and depression. A trip to Paris and the United States followed one dark nervous episode in 1891. Tchaikovsky wrote his Sixth Symphony, "Pathétique," in 1893, and it was successfully premiered in October, that year. The composer died ten days later of cholera, or -- as some now contend -- from drinking poison in accordance with a death sentence conferred on him by his classmates from the School of Jurisprudence, who were fearful of shame on the institution owing to an alleged homosexual episode involving Tchaikovsky. Read less
Label: Profil
Catalog: 19040
Release Date: 02/14/2020
Number of Discs: 22
Composer:
Mikhail Glinka,
Modest Mussorgsky,
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,
Alexander Borodin
...
Performer:
Vladeta Dimitrievich,
Maria Glavachevich,
Drago Startz,
Ivan Murgashki
...
Conductor:
Oskar Danon,
Kreshimir Baranovich,
Wassili Nebolski
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Belgrade National Opera Orchestra,
Yugoslav Army Chorus,
USSR State Academic Grand Theatre Chorus
...
Label: Unitel Edition
Catalog: 801408
Release Date: 07/12/2019
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Stanislav Trofimov,
Alexander Kravets,
Hanna Schwarz,
Vladislav Sulimsky
...
Conductor:
Mariss Jansons
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,
Vienna State Opera Chorus Konzertvereinigung,
Salzburg Festival Children's Chorus
Label: Euroarts
Catalog: 26482
Release Date: 08/10/2018
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Irina Churilova,
Ekaterina Semenchuk,
Dimitri Ulianov,
Ekaterina Scherbachenko
...
Conductor:
Teodor Currentzis
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Madrid Teatro Real Orchestra,
Madrid Teatro Real Chorus
Label: C Major
Catalog: 743908
Release Date: 01/26/2018
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Andrei Popov,
Vladimir Stoyanov,
Alexey Markov,
Misha Didyk
...
Conductor:
Mariss Jansons
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,
Dutch National Opera Chorus,
New Amsterdam Children's Chorus
Recommendation
Label: C Major
Catalog: 744004
Release Date: 01/26/2018
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Mikhail Makarov,
Anatoli Sivko,
Anna Goryachova,
Svetlana Aksenova
...
Conductor:
Mariss Jansons
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,
Dutch National Opera Chorus,
New Amsterdam Children's Chorus
Recommendation
Label: Sony
Catalog: 88985470382
Release Date: 10/06/2017
Number of Discs: 3
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Ivan Konsulov,
Stefania Toczyska,
Yuri Mazurok,
Penka Dilova
...
Conductor:
Emil Tchakarov
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Sofia Festival Orchestra,
Svetoslav Obretenov National Chorus
Recommendation
Label: Dg Deutsche Grammophon
Catalog: 002475502
Release Date: 04/29/2016
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Mirella Freni,
Anne Sofie von Otter,
Rosemarie Lang,
Neil Shicoff
...
Conductor:
James Levine
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Leipzig Radio Chorus,
Staatskapelle Dresden
Label: Opus Arte
Catalog: 1203
Release Date: 03/25/2016
Number of Discs: 8
Composer:
Modest Mussorgsky,
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,
Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:
Alessandra Marianelli,
Pavel Zubov,
Orlin Anastassov,
Mikhail Petrenko
...
Conductor:
Gianandrea Noseda,
Stefan Herheim,
Michael Boder,
Marc Albrecht
...
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino,
Chorus of the Teatro Regio Torino,
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
...
Label: Opus Arte
Catalog: 7193
Release Date: 03/25/2016
Number of Discs: 6
Composer:
Modest Mussorgsky,
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,
Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer:
Orlin Anastassov,
Pavel Zubov,
Alessandra Marianelli,
Andrei Dunaev
...
Conductor:
Gianandrea Noseda,
Stefan Herheim,
Michael Boder,
Marc Albrecht
...
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino,
Chorus of the Teatro Regio Torino,
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
...
Label: Oehms
Catalog: 963
Release Date: 09/11/2015
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Vladislav Sulimsky,
Dmitri Popov,
Andrei Bondarenko,
Alexander Vinogradov
...
Conductor:
Dmitri Kitayenko
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cologne Gürzenich Orchestra,
Cologne Opera Chorus
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Catalog: 1994259
Release Date: 03/11/2014
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Anna Netrebko,
Piotr Beczala,
Mariusz Kwiecien
Conductor:
Valery Gergiev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Metropolitan Opera Chorus,
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Recommendation
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Catalog: 1994309
Release Date: 03/04/2014
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Anna Netrebko,
Piotr Beczala,
Mariusz Kwiecien
Conductor:
Valery Gergiev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Metropolitan Opera Chorus,
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Label: Opus Arte
Catalog: 1120
Release Date: 10/29/2013
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Diana Montague,
Elena Maximova,
Peter Rose,
Krassimira Stoyanova
...
Conductor:
Robin Ticciati
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus,
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra
Label: Opus Arte
Catalog: 7132
Release Date: 10/29/2013
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Pavol Breslik,
Simon Keenlyside,
Krassimira Stoyanova,
Peter Rose
...
Conductor:
Robin Ticciati
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra,
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus
Label: Kultur Video
Catalog: 4813
Release Date: 05/28/2013
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Kristine Opolais,
Lena Belkina,
Artur Rucinski,
Dmitry Korchak
...
Conductor:
Omer Meir Wellber
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Valencia Community Orchestra
Label: Kultur Video
Catalog: 4813
Release Date: 05/28/2013
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Dmitry Korchak,
Lena Belkina,
Artur Rucinski,
Kristine Opolais
...
Conductor:
Omer Meir Wellber
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Valencia Community Orchestra
Label: Teatro Real
Catalog: 97010
Release Date: 10/30/2012
Number of Discs: 1
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
Igor Stravinsky
Performer:
Ekaterina Semenchuk,
Dimitri Ulianov,
Ekaterina Scherbachenko,
Willard White
...
Conductor:
Teodor Currentzis
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Madrid Teatro Real Orchestra,
Madrid Teatro Real Chorus,
JORCAM Young Singers
Recommendation
Label: Decca
Catalog: 001727402
Release Date: 09/11/2012
Number of Discs: 2
Composer:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Stuart Burrows,
Teresa Kubiak,
Julia Hamari,
Bernd Weikl
...
Conductor:
Sir Georg Solti
Orchestra/Ensemble:
John Alldis Choir,
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra