Pyotr tchaikovsky/philip ross bullock

When Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky died of cholera in 1893, he was without a doubt Russias most celebrated composer.

Drawing extensively on Tchaikovskys uncensored letters and diaries, this richly documented biography explores the composers life and works, as well as the larger and richly robust artistic culture of nineteenth-century Russian society, which would propel Tchaikovsky into international spotlight.

Setting aside clich s of Tchaikovsky as a tortured homosexual and naively confessional artist, Philip Ross Bullock paints a new and vivid portrait of the composer that weaves together insights into his music with a sensitive account of his inner emotional life.

He looks at Tchaikovskys appeal to wealthy and influential patrons such as Nadezhda von Meck and Tsar Alexander III, and he examines Russias growing hunger at the time for serious classical music.

Following Tchaikovsky through his celebrity up until his 1891 performance at New Yorks Carnegie Hall and his honorary doctorate at the University of Cambridge, Bullock offers an accessible but deeply informed window onto Tchaikovskys life and works.

About the Author: Philip Ross Bullock is professor of Russian literature and music and a fellow and tutor in Russian at Wadham College at the University of Oxford.