Hello All,

Can anyone recommend a good biography of Tchaikovsky?

Thank you

David Brown (a British musicologist) has a highly-praised 4-volume study of Tchaikovsky, which puts the emphasis on the music. It was exceptionally complete, but rather specialized for my own level of interest and understanding, and I confess to having done a lot of skimming of my library copies.

Brown has published (in the UK) a one-volume study, Tchaikovsky: the Man and Music, but I don't think it is published in the US at this time.

More directly related to our interest here, there's Tchaikovsky's Ballets by John Wiley.

While you're at it, also take a look at "Balanchine's Tchaikovsky: Conversations with Balanchine on his Life, Ballet and Music" by Solomon Volkov.

It's not a definitive biography, but it's still well worth reading.

(I wish whoever borrowed my copy would return it.)

Yesterday I was looking for a Tchaikovsky biography in amazon.co.uk (what a coincidence!). There you can find Brown's. The reviews are of great help.

Just bumping this thread to notify people that Roland John Wiley--the author of the amazingly comprehensive ballet books Tchaikovsky's Ballets, The Ballets of Lev Ivanov and A Century of Russian Ballet, as well as other pieces on Russian music, dance, and history, has a new Tchaikovsky biography out this June. Amazon is already taking pre orders. It's some 700 pages and promises to be a fully detailed biography, interspersed with seperate chapters giving the history and anlalysis of Tchaikovsky's major works (with special emphasis on the operas and ballets). I personally have high expectations for this.

http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Master-M...8536&sr=1-6

Thanks! Definitely something to look out for.

Yes, thanks very much for the information, EricMontreal. I'll be ordering.

Just a reminder to BT members: Ballet Talk gets credit for Amazon purchase ONLY if you order by using the Amazon box at the top of the page.

To simplify things, I've added added a NEW LINK to the Wiley book that WILL allow for a credit to Ballet Talk. (It has to do with codes and things that I admit I really don't understand.) :

http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Master-M...0274&sr=1-1

The same holds true with any book, dvd, etc, mentioned on Ballet Talk. If you want to order it and would like Ballet Talk to get a small percentage of the proceeds the simplest way is CLICK THE BOX AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.

I've changed my pre-order accordingly ;) Thanks for the reminder--