Tchaikovsky – His Life & Music

by Jeremy Siepmann

Tchaikovsky is one of the most popular composers who ever lived. He is also one of the most misunderstood, as both man and musician, and looks destined to remain among the most controversial. Widely misrepresented as an emotional voluptuary and typecast as a ‘crazy Russian genius’, he was, in fact, a highly disciplined and masterly craftsman of pronounced classical leanings, and a man whose volatile and hypersensitive temperament was as much his friend as his enemy. His life was lived at the extremes, and fuelled by passions of almost every kind. This much is evident in his music, which plays a vital past in this absorbing portrait, as do the words of the composer and his contemporaries. Here we meet the composer in the context of his times. We also meet a man of compelling humanity, sensibility and humour.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, History, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 26, 2005

About the author

Jeremy Siepmann (16 January 1942 – 6 April 2016), born in America and living in Britain for most of his career, was a broadcaster and writer on music.

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful music and an engaging biography

Even from the earliest age, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, like so many other musically precocious world-class composers, displayed an emotional insecurity that was to develop into a string of personal crises, depression and even suicidal tendencies as an adult. Perhaps it was the overwhelming fear of the exposure of his stifled homosexuality that led to his marriage being an utter disaster even from its very first day. Even his long-standing relationship with his only true friend, the widowed Nadezhda von Meck, might be classed as considerably off the beaten track of normal friendships. This wealthy woman, who for much of Tchaikovsky's life was a generous patron, insisted that the only condition on their relationship be that they never meet. Their entire friendship was conducted through correspondence and it hurt Tchaikovsky deeply when she unilaterally terminated that relationship for no reason that Tchaikovsky could fathom. While the world did not lose Tchaikovsky quite as early as we saw Mozart pass away, his untimely death at the age of 53 was deeply mourned. To this day it is an open question as to whether he died of cholera or suicide.

But, of course, it is the music - the symphonies, ballets ("Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" are arguably the best known ballets in the entire classical repertoire), chamber music and operas such as the lyrical "Eugene Onegin" - that is the reason we are so interested in the story of the man as well. Jeremy Siepmann and Naxos Records have created a truly winning recipe with their "LIFE AND WORKS" series. The combination of an audio book with music is an extraordinarily powerful and compelling way of bringing the biography of a classical musician to life and, at the same time, making the music accessible to a wide audience who may never have had the privilege of listening to some of the greatest music ever written. Siepmann's narrative voice is truly enchanting. Not only does he do a masterful job narrating Tchaikovsky's story in a most compelling manner but he does a magnificent job of relating Tchaikovsky's mercurial moods and the events in his life to the very nature of the music that he was producing at different periods in his life.

Highly recommended for lovers of music and music history alike.

Paul Weiss

[mau · Rating 3 out of 5]

my dear tchai 🫂🫂🫂

this book was a fun read overall, i was able to learn so many more things about tchaikovsky that i hadn’t known before, from silly little details like his hater tendencies towards certain composers (let’s just say he wouldnt be a swiftie) to much more important events in his life and i felt like it made him seem sm more human to my eyes (except for that one thing … ) and i loved that. i also liked the addition of certain songs u could listen to at specific parts, it added something special !

my final verdict is borderline personality disorder btw

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

A light biography interspersed with excerpts from the music.

[Jaak Ennuste · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not read it, but had an audio-book. But this is a good example, how audio-book should be. Better to say, that it is a multimedia book. Tchaikovsky's life, illustrated with particular pieces of music. Well written and performed, a tad short though.

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this audio book through the library's Hoopla service. Enjoyable for anyone who likes both biographies and music.

[Michelle Bizzell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very straightforward biography without much context, but nice and short. The addition of musical examples and primary source quotations from letters, diaries, etc. really brought the composer to life.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise biography that is fair in presenting biographical theories, especially regarding Tchaikovsky's love life, homosexuality, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. The audiobook is unique in that it included excerpts of Tchaikovsky's pieces after explanations of when the work was written and during what circumstances in the composer's life. For example, the Symphony No. 6 is one of his darker works, composed shortly before his death.

I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I reserve 5 stars for more exhaustive works. It did, however, spark my interest in a more thorough biography. Recommended for people who are looking for a short biography with all of the important highlights and musical examples.

[John Gonzales · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the Audiobook, so it played the musical examples throughout the book. I just wished they has gone into more explanation as to why he wrote sine music in the first place. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't.

It was a sad story, but really interesting.

While I appreciated all the primary resources used, something it felt like a list of accomplishments, instead of an easy to read narration.

I still enjoyed it.

[David Szatkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I choose to listen to Siepmann's book as an audio book because the author mixes the biography (spoke, narration) with works from the composer to illustrate different parts of his life, style, works, etc. I wonderful and interesting way to learn a bit about a famous musician.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mix between biographical information and music analysis. Two CDs, many of the selections inspired and justified. Some questions regarding the personal life, which the author is not in a hurry to answer. Overall a good read.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction into Tchaikovsky's life. I really enjoyed the style of this audio book, that switches between background information, Tchaikovsky's journal entries and musical pieces. I found it very entertaining to listen to.

#NonFictionNovember2020
#Buzz

[Neal Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series of 'Life & Works' audiobooks by Siepmann is wonderful. The text interwoven with musical examples gives a more complete picture of these composers' lives. I've been through several and have 2 remaining.

[Beverly Hollandbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cursory narrative of T.'s life. It made me want to read something more in depth.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend the audiobook, which includes highlights of Tchaikovsky's music after they are mentioned in the text.

[Jean Donze · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun way to learn a little of a musical giant by listening to a brief narrative of his life with many of his scores interspersed throughout.

[Ana-Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography helped me to discover and appreciate two works of the famous composer. The first is the Manfred Symphony based on Lord Byron's poem with the same name; the second is, of course, the last symphony Tchaikovsky wrote, his Symphony number 6, Pathetique, the one that he described as his best work.
I also plan to read Manfred to better immerse myself in the beautiful symphony.

[Rachel Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved the structure of this book. A great biography, but also informative about the progression of his musical career, his compositional theories, etc. I like that it has a CD and website content too, so you can listen to the music being discussed at various points.