Tchaikovsky's Empire: A New Life of Russia's Greatest Composer

A fresh introduction to the life and music of Tchaikovsky, sure to add some understanding and enjoyment for anybody who listens to the composer’s music or sees performances of his ballets—either live or filmed!

This is my least favorite of Tchaikovsky's biographies I've read. The narrative is too dry and choppy - both in regards to the timeline, as well as surprising jumps into music analysis and back. The book reads more like a series of short newspaper articles spliced together rather than being cohesive at all. Tchaikovsky, the man, disappears here. I couldn't warm up to it at all.The first thing I read was the last chapter about his death. This author is on the side of his death by cholera while David Brown and others side with death by suicide as he was shown with an open casket; numerous letters - including one from Rimsky-Korsakov - attest to that. An open casket would not have been allowed if he, actually, died of that disease.

Excellent writing and highly argumentative.

Told me much of Tchaikovsky I never knew. Some rare photographs.