Overview

A thrilling new biography of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky—composer of some of the world's most popular orchestral and theatrical music Tchaikovsky is famous for all the wrong reasons. Portrayed as a hopeless romantic, a suffering melancholic, or a morbid obsessive, the Tchaikovsky we think we know is a shadow of the fascinating reality. It is all too easy to forget that he composed an empire's worth of music, and navigated the imperial Russian court to great advantage. In this iconoclastic biography, celebrated author Simon Morrison re-creates Tchaikovsky's complex world. His life and art were framed by Russian national ambition, and his work was the emanation of an imperial subject: kaleidoscopic, capacious, cosmopolitan, decentred. Morrison reexamines the relationship between Tchaikovsky's music, personal life, and politics; his support of Tsars Alexander II and III; and his engagement with the cultures of the imperial margins, in Ukraine, Poland, and the Caucasus. Tchaikovsky's Empire unsettles everything we thought we knew—and gives us a vivid new appreciation of Russia's most popular composer.

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9780300192100

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Reviews

“Tchaikovsky has often been treated as a tragically autobiographical figure, but Morrison’s Tchaikovsky is a brilliantly diverse and supremely energetic virtuoso. Morrison’s writing—entertaining, authoritative, witty—shares this infectious energy.”—Alastair Macaulay, critic and historian of the performing arts “A page-turner demystifying the composer about whom we thought we knew everything. Morrison masterfully situates Tchaikovsky both within his Russian imperial and his cosmopolitan existences, revealing a contented person and an unexpectedly pragmatic artist.”—Elena Dubinets, artistic director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra “This is a dazzling book. Morrison shows us a funny, ambitious, fun-loving musical genius, loyal but ever alert to his own best interests, freed up from our voyeuristic fascination with private life and scrupulously restored to his own complex creative space.”—Caryl Emerson, author of The Life of Musorgsky “Light-handed, clear-eyed and wonderfully vivid. Morrison lifts the sentimental veil that has settled upon the great Russian composer, sweeping away cliché to offer an immensely human, transparent portrait.”—Marina Harss, author of The Boy from Kyiv “In his short life, Tchaikovsky covered a lot of ground, musically and geographically. Simon Morrison matches him in range and pace, shedding new light on the worlds in which he worked.”—Philip Ross Bullock, author of Pyotr Tchaikovsky

“Tchaikovsky has often been treated as a tragically autobiographical figure, but Morrison’s Tchaikovsky is a brilliantly diverse and supremely energetic virtuoso. Morrison’s writing—entertaining, authoritative, witty—shares this infectious energy.”—Alastair Macaulay, critic and historian of the performing arts   “A page-turner demystifying the composer about whom we thought we knew everything. Morrison masterfully situates Tchaikovsky both within his Russian imperial and his cosmopolitan existences, revealing a contented person and an unexpectedly pragmatic artist.”—Elena Dubinets, Artistic Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra   “This is a dazzling book. Morrison shows us a funny, ambitious, fun-loving musical genius, loyal but ever alert to his own best interests, freed up from our voyeuristic fascination with private life and scrupulously restored to his own complex creative space.”—Caryl Emerson, author of The Life of Musorgsky   “Light-handed, clear-eyed and wonderfully vivid. Morrison lifts the sentimental veil that has settled upon the great Russian composer, sweeping away cliché to offer an immensely human, transparent portrait.”—Marina Harss, author of The Boy from Kyiv   “In his short life, Tchaikovsky covered a lot of ground, musically and geographically. Simon Morrison matches him in range and pace, shedding new light on the worlds in which he worked.”—Philip Ross Bullock, author of Pyotr Tchaikovsky “Engaging, provocative, and original. Morrison focuses on Tchaikovsky as a disciplined composer who managed complex dealings with individual patrons and the demands and ideologies of the Tsarist state. Novel insights about the music emerge from Morrison’s nuanced and elegant scholarship.”—Leon Botstein, President of Bard College   “What a marvelous, fresh book. I'm intrigued by the thrilling details leading to The Sleeping Beauty, the greatest ballet score ever, and the most difficult to realize via dance. And Morrison, to my great relief, has exorcised the tired old curse imposed on Tchaikovsky's sex life. It's about time!”—Mark Morris, dancer, choreographer and director    

Author Information

Simon Morrison is professor of music and Slavic languages and literatures at Princeton University. He has written numerous celebrated books on subjects ranging from Prokofiev and Russian opera to Roxy Music and Stevie Nicks.

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