7 replies to this topic

[MakarovaFan]

Hello All,

Can anyone recommend a good biography of Tchaikovsky?

Thank you

[bart]

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.

[Amy Reusch]

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.)

[Grissi]

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.

[EricMontreal22]

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.co...M...8536&sr=1-6

[Marc Haegeman]

EricMontreal22, on Feb 11 2009, 12:33 AM, said:

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.co...M...8536&sr=1-6

Thanks! Definitely something to look out for.

[bart]

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.co...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.

  

[EricMontreal22]

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