Great Composers in Words & Music: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky

Introduction

Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act II: By a Lake: The swans swim on the lake (Excerpt)

Can there be music more instantly recognisable, more wildly popular, more beautifully scored?…

Marche slave, Op. 31 (Excerpt)

We heard an extract from Tchaikovsky's 1876 orchestral piece Marche slave…

Don Giovanni, K. 527, Act II Scene 6: Aria. Vedrai, carino (Excerpt)

Tchaikovsky's arrival at the preparatory school in St Petersburg…

Moy geniy, moy angel, moy drug

Tchaikovsky graduated from the School of Jurisprudence on 25 May 1859…

Groza, Op. 76 (Excerpt)

On graduation at the end of 1865, Tchaikovsky was offered the role of music theory teacher at the soon-to-open Moscow Conservatory…

Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 17 "Little Russian": I. Andante sostenuto - Allegro vivo (Excerpt)

Around this time, the early 1870s, Tchaikovsky enjoyed some success as an aspiring composer…

Oprichnik, Act I: Pochudilis' mne budito golosa i shum shagov (Excerpt)

Towards the end of 1874, the same year in which The Oprichnik premiered…

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito (Excerpt)

The mid-1870s witnessed the further development of Tchaikovsky's career…

Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36: I. Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima (Excerpt)

In the years that followed his ill-fated marriage, Tchaikovsky became reclusive…

1812 Festival Overture, Op. 49 (Excerpt)

In the mid-1880s, Tchaikovsky decided to return to the Moscow region and settle down…

Suite No. 4 in G Major, Op. 61 "Mozartiana": III. Preghiera. Andante non tanto (Excerpt)

In the final years of Tchaikovsky's life, his compositional pace seemed to increase…

The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, Act I: Valse (Excerpt)

A second example from the ballet illustrates Tchaikovsky's characteristically atmospheric musical style…

The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, Act II: Panorama (Excerpt)

Tchaikovsky's third and final ballet, The Nutcracker, was premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre on 18 December 1892…

The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act II Tableau 3: Coda

Although the Tsar, present at the final dress rehearsal…

Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique": IV. Finale. Adagio lamentoso (Excerpt)