This article provides an insight into the life of the Russian genius Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky alongside his music. From his early days in Votkinsk, Russia, to his musical legacy, we select five of his most outstanding compositions, from ballets to operas and concertos, each reflecting his extraordinary genius.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, born in Votkinsk, Russia, in 1840, and passing away in St. Petersburg in 1893, is considered one of the most celebrated Russian composers of all time. Here we briefly review his life and offer 5 indispensable works from his repertoire.
From an early age, Tchaikovsky showed a keen interest in music, although his family initially intended for him to pursue a career in the civil service. His musical talent was evident from his early attempts at composition in childhood, and he received piano lessons. It was during his time at the St. Petersburg Conservatory that Tchaikovsky fully dedicated himself to music. Under the guidance of distinguished professors such as Anton Rubinstein, he honed his skills in composition and orchestration. His early works, like the overture “The Storm,” showed promise, and his career took off with successful premieres of compositions like “Romeo and Juliet.”
Tchaikovsky’s personal life, marked by complex relationships and struggles with his sexual orientation, also deeply influenced his music. His fruitful yet turbulent relationship with Nadezhda von Meck, his patron, allowed him to focus entirely on composition, leading to the creation of some of his most iconic works. Despite criticism and personal challenges, Tchaikovsky’s music continued to evolve, merging Russian folk influences with Western European styles. His mastery of melody, instrumentation, and form, especially evident in works such as his symphonies and ballets, ensured his place as one of the greatest composers in history.
5 essential works in the repertoire of the Russian genius.
5. The Nutcracker (Premiered 1892)
The ballet “The Nutcracker” was commissioned by the director of the Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, in 1891 and premiered in 1892, with music composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The choreography was initially to be created by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, but tragic events caused Petipa to step away from the production. The libretto was written by Vsevolozhsky and Petipa, based on an adaptation by Alexandre Dumas of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.”
Tchaikovsky selected eight numbers from the ballet before its premiere, forming Suite Op. 71a, intended for concerts. The suite premiered in 1892, and the popularity of the full ballet grew in the following decades. The music is characterized by its use of the celesta, prominently featured in the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The first performance took place in 1892 in St. Petersburg, and since then the ballet has been performed in many places, becoming one of the most popular in Western countries, especially at Christmas.
4 – Overture 1812 (Premiered 1882)
Tchaikovsky composed the Overture 1812 to commemorate the victory of Russian resistance after the Napoleonic invasion. At Borodino, on September 7, 1812, Napoleon’s troops faced the Russian forces of General Mikhail Kutuzov in a battle that resulted in an estimated 100,000 casualties and a Pyrrhic victory for Napoleon. The French forces advanced to Moscow, which was abandoned by the Russians, leading the Grande Armée into a desperate situation, trapped in a burning city without winter quarters. The overture symbolically represents the Napoleonic campaign in Russia, from the French advance to the retreat, including divine intervention depicted by the initial religious hymn and the sound of church bells in the triumphant finale.
3 – Swan Lake
It is a fairy tale ballet structured in four acts, commissioned by the Bolshoi Theatre in 1875 and premiered in 1877. The music was composed by Tchaikovsky; it is his op. 20 and is the first of his ballets. In the original production, the choreography was created by Julius Reisinger. The libretto is believed to have been written by Vladimir Petrovich Begichev and Vasily Geltser, based on the German tale “Der geraubte Schleier” (The Stolen Veil) by Johann Karl August Musäus.
The first performance took place on March 4, 1877, at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Contrary to its current great recognition, this work was surrounded by setbacks from its premiere. Tchaikovsky, not very familiar with ballet composition, worked quickly, innovatively, and carelessly on a score that would end up puzzling Reisinger. All of this resulted in the work not being well received by both the public and the critics. However, on January 15, 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, this same work achieved its first major success with a new choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Tchaikovsky’s initial ideas about Swan Lake were reorganized, and the pas de deux he originally composed for the black swan was replaced by another, also composed by him.
2 – Eugene Onegin
“Eugene Onegin” is an opera in three acts (seven scenes) with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and a libretto in Russian by Konstantin Shilovsky and Modest Tchaikovsky, the composer’s brother, based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel in verse of the same name, published in 1831. The libretto closely follows Pushkin’s original, preserving much of its poetry, to which Tchaikovsky adds music of a dramatic nature. The story revolves around a selfish hero who lives long enough to regret his disdainful rejection of a young woman’s love and his careless incitement to a fatal duel with his best friend.
Tchaikovsky premiered the opera in a performance for the Moscow Conservatory, by a group of students, on March 29, 1879. The initial idea of adapting Pushkin’s work was presented to him by the opera singer Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya in May 1877. Although it seemed strange to him at first, he soon became interested and created the scenes in a single night before beginning the musical composition. He used Pushkin’s original verses and selected scenes that reflected the emotional aspects and fortunes of the characters, thus creating “lyrical scenes”. The opera is episodic, and Tchaikovsky relied on his audience to fill in the omitted details, much like in Puccini’s “La bohème”.
1 – Piano Concerto No. 1
Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23, was written between November 1874 and February 1875, first revised in 1879 and then again in December 1888. It has a duration of about 34 minutes and is one of the most popular works today.
The original version premiered in Boston, United States, on October 25, 1875, conducted by Benjamin Johnson Lang with Hans von Bülow on the piano. Tchaikovsky dedicated the first piano concerto to this pianist. Tchaikovsky also wrote an arrangement for two pianos in December 1884, revising it in December 1888. Composer Nikolai Rubinstein initially did not like the piece, but later changed his mind, requesting Tchaikovsky’s permission to perform it.
