Born: 1840, Votkinsk, Russia
Died: 1893, St. Petersburg, Russia

“Music is not illusion, but revelation rather. Its triumphant power resides in the fact that it reveals to us beauties we find nowhere else.”

Tchaikovsky was one of the later Romantic masters who most successfully merged nationalistic energies with the classical symphonic and concerto tradition. He had a gift for the utterly apt melodic expression of strong emotion and a sure sense of rhythmic character, which helped make masterpieces of theater works such as the opera Eugene Onegin and the ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. The intensity of his music brought it immediate success and has kept it popular with every succeeding generation of music lovers.

Further listening:

The Nutcracker (1892)
Kirov Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (Philips)

Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique” (1893)
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta
(Decca)