Tchaikovsky by David Mountfield

Tchaikovsky was the greatest of Russia's mid-19th century composers. His seemingly inexhaustible gift for melodic invention has made him one of the most popular classical composers, and today recordings of his music consistently feature on the best-seller lists.

This book tells the story of Tchaikovsky's life and music, beginning with his first attempts at composition and his appointment later at the Moscow Conservatoire. The second chapter deals with his period of greatest creativity and of his strange association with Nadezhda von Meck. This third chapter is about his final years, his tour of North America in 1891, and his last great works. The book ends with a chapter on Tchaikovsky's music, especially his orchestral works, opera and ballet suites, and the recordings of some of his greatest modern interpreters.