Swan Lake, Op. 20 (1875–1876)
Ballet of Odette and Odile; the plaintive oboe 'swan theme' is instantly recognisable
Recording: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Music
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
1840–1893 · Russian
Romantic
Tchaikovsky was the first Russian composer to win lasting international fame, fusing Western forms with Russian colour and an unashamed emotional directness. His three ballets — Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker — remain the core of the classical ballet repertoire, and his symphonies and concertos are among the most performed in the world.
How to spot them
- ▸Soaring, heart-on-sleeve string melodies and big brass climaxes — lush, tuneful and often melancholy
- ▸Ballet music: waltzes, character dances and the celesta of the Sugar Plum Fairy
- ▸Clue patterns: patron Nadezhda von Meck, the 'Pathétique', cannon fire in the 1812 Overture, Pushkin's Eugene Onegin
Key works — listen
The Nutcracker, Op. 71 (1891–1892)
Christmas ballet: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (celesta), Waltz of the Flowers, Russian Trepak
Recording: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky · CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1874–1875)
Opens with crashing piano chords under a grand horn-and-string theme
Recording: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky · CC0, Wikimedia Commons
1812 Overture, Op. 49 (1880)
Commemorates Russia's defeat of Napoleon; La Marseillaise versus God Save the Tsar, with cannon and bells
Recording: author : Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky performer : Concertgebouw Orchestra (Amsterdam) directed by Paul van Kempen · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique" (1893)
Ends with a slow, despairing finale; he died nine days after conducting the premiere
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 (1877–1878)
Opera after Pushkin, famous for Tatyana's Letter Scene and the Polonaise
Quick-fire facts
- •His wealthy patron Nadezhda von Meck supported him financially for 13 years, on condition that they never meet.
- •The Piano Concerto No. 1 was dismissed by Nikolai Rubinstein; it was premiered instead by Hans von Bülow in Boston in 1875.
- •He conducted at the opening concerts of Carnegie Hall in New York in 1891.
- •He died in St Petersburg in 1893, officially of cholera, just days after the premiere of the 'Pathétique' Symphony.
- •The 1812 Overture quotes La Marseillaise and the Russian imperial anthem God Save the Tsar.
- •Romeo and Juliet is a 'fantasy overture', whose love theme is one of the most famous melodies in music.
- •His three ballets are Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty (Op. 66) and The Nutcracker.
Drill it — 9 cards
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Sources
- Grove Music Online (Oxford Music Online) — Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Il'yich
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Wikipedia — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky