Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1865 in Votkinsk, a small city in the Ural mountains in Russia. His father was a mining engineer. At the early age Peter Tchaikovsky already showed exceptional talent in music, but when he was 10 years old, his parents assigned him to study in the Saint-Petersburg School of Jurisprudence. When he graduated from the college, he got the functionary post in the Department of Justice. At this time his interest in music and theatre increased and in 1861 year Peter Tchaikovsky started his musical classes in the conservatory.

In 1863 he left his post in the ministry, graduated from the Conservatory and then moved to Moscow. In 1866 year he already gave music lessons in the Moscow conservatory and composed his first symphony - Symphony No.1 "Winter Daydreams". In 1888 he created his first opera "The Voyevoda" which had less success, so Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky destroyed it and later used the material in his opera "The Oprichnik".

By advice of Balakirev M.A. in 1869 year Tchaikovsky created the Fantasy-Overture "Romeo and Juliet", the opera "Undina", and many romances.

In the 1870s Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky founds his creative style and composes his 2nd, 3rd and 4th Symphonies, the opera "Vakula the Smith", three string quartets, his first ballet "Swan Lake" (1876), the Rococo variations for cello and orchestra, symphonic fantasia Francesca da Rimini (1876), opera "Eugene Onegin" (1879), by Alexander Pushkin, The Maid of Orleans (1881), and many others.

In 1877 year Peter Tchaikovsky moves to Saint-Petersburg and then to Switzerland, Italy, and France. During this period he creates the world-known musical compositions: opera Mazeppa (1884), the Italian Capriccio (1880), the orchestra suites: the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, the Firth Symphony, the Sorceress (1887), the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" (1890).

In 1887 Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky started his yearly European concert tours to promote his music. In the 1890s he created his famous opera "The Queen of Spades" (1890), the music to the Shakespeare's "Hamlet", the ballad "Voevoda" , the opera "Iolanta", and others.

His last compositions were The Nutcracker (1892), the 2nd Piano concert, the Sixth Symphony (1893). His Sixth Symphony was first performed on 28 October. Nine days later Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky died of cholera.

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Some of Peter Tchaikovsky's greatest works and links to their Audio CDs:

• 25 Tchaikovsky Favorites by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Alois Springer, Edouard van Remoortel, Erich Kunzel, and Heinrich Hollreiser (Audio CD - 1996)
• Essential Tchaikovsky by Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Charles Dutoit, Herbert von Karajan, and Igor Markevitch (Audio CD - 2002)
• Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no 4, 5, & 6 / Karajan, Berlin PO by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Herbert von Karajan, and Berliner Philharmoniker (Audio CD - 1997)
• Tchaikovsky: The Complete Symphonies by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Leonard Bernstein, and New York Philharmonic (Audio CD - 2003)
• Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1/Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2 by Sergey Rachmaninov, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Fritz Reiner, Kiril Kondrashin, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Audio CD - 1993)
• Pytor Illych Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Complete Ballet by Valery Gergiev, Kirov Orchestra and Choir, and Tchaikovsky (Audio CD - 1998)
• Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto by Joshua Bell, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Berliner Philharmoniker (Audio CD - 2005)
• Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto Op35; Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Op77 by Johannes Brahms, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Anatole Fistoulari, William Steinberg, and Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Audio CD - 1995)
• Tchaikovsky: Greatest Hits by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Eugene Ormandy, Bamberg Symphony Chorus, Boston Pops Orchestra, and Boston Symphony Orchestra [members of] (Audio CD - 1991)
• Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (complete ballet) by Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Philadelphia Orchestra (Audio CD - 2004) )

Some books by Peter Tchaikovsky, books about this famous Russian composer and his music

• Tchaikovsky: The Man and His Music by David Brown (Hardcover - Feb 20, 2007)
• Tchaikovsky by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Paperback - Oct 2000)
• Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies in Full Score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (Paperback - Oct 1, 1979)
• Tchaikovsky: A Listener's Guide Book/2 CD Pack Unlocking the Masters Series (Unlocking the Masters) by Daniel Felsenfeld and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Paperback - Jan 1, 2007)
• Peter Tchaikovsky (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) by Mike Venezia (Turtleback - Feb 2002)
• Tchaikovsky (His Life and Music) by Jeremy Siepmann (Hardcover - Nov 30, 2007)
• Tchaikovsky (His Life and Music) by Jeremy Siepmann (Hardcover - Nov 30, 2007)
• The Nutcracker: Complete Ballet in Full Score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (Paperback - Sep 16, 2004)
• Concert suites from the ballets "The Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker" for piano. by Tchaikovsky Petr-Pletnev Mikhail (Paperback - 2007)