David Brown (5) (1929–2014)

I'm not an expert on Tchaikovsky - and this book isn't meant for that sort of audience - but I enjoyed this book very much. It doesn't rank with the best biographies I've read, where you really feel like you've gotten to know a personality in all his complexity and followed that personality closely through all its development and changes, but Brown does give us a pretty good sense of Tchaikovsky's character, and he does a really nice job of describing and analyzing the music. Fortunately, I show more had access to pretty much every work Brown described, so I could listen along as I read. This added greatly to the experience, and I'd recommend that others do the same if they can. show less

This is the final volume of David Brown's masterful tetralogy about Tchaikovsky's life and works. Here, we learn how such masterpieces as the 5th and 6th symphonies, Sleeping Beauty, and the Nutcracker came into being. Other areas covered in great detail include Tchaikovsky's trip to America where he led the first concert in the new Carnegie Hall and the honorary doctorate bestowed upon him by Cambridge. Finally, the circumstances of his sudden and mysterious death are described. Usually show more attributed to cholera caused by unwittingly drinking a glass of unboiled water, it appears that Tchaikovsky may have been ordered to commit suicide by a secret court of his peers to avoid the shame of exposure in a homosexual scandal. Overall, I learned a great deal of heretofore unknown details about Tchaikovsky's family, friends, life, and work habits. I heartily recommend these volumes as the definitive study on Tchaikovsky. show less

The third volume of David Brown's magnificent biography of Tchaikovsky covers the restless years of 1878-1885. Tchaikovsky led a peripatetic lifestyle during those years, rarely spending more than several months in any one place. The favorite of his various residences was Kamenka, the Ukrainian home of his sister Sasha and her family. The relationship with his great benefactress, Nadezhda von Meck is also explored in fascinating detail. Although they never met by mutual agreement, she kept show more Tchaikovsky free of monetary concerns by supplying him with a regular stipend. In an extensive correspondence, he used her as a sounding board for his musical ideas. Works that are described here include the second piano concerto, the piano trio composed in memory of his esteemed colleague Nikolai Rubinstein, the operas the Maid of Orleans and Mazepa, and the Manfred symphony. show less

This is an excellent introduction to Tchaikovsky's early life. He had an idyllic childhood surrounded by a close and loving family. Before reading this book, I wasn't aware that until his early 20s, Tchaikovsky was torn between a career in law and music. Lucky for us and posterity, he chose the latter. The author goes into great detail about Tchaikovsky's early attempts at composition, concentrating on his operas and his earliest masterpice, the Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture. I strongly show more reoommend this book to all music lovers. show less