Tchaikovsky

I believe that I am truly gifted with the ability to express in music, with truth, sincerity and simplicity, the feelings, states of mind and images that a text suggests to me. In this sense I am a realist, and someone fundamentally Russian...

A true national hero in the hearts of Russians, Tchaikovsky marvelously embodies the artist torn between his desire to create and his own difficulty of being. Like that of Mozart , whom he particularly revered, his music suffers from being poorly played, hence the reputation of syrupy vapidity that we sometimes find in it. It is easy to fall into bad taste, especially in works where the author gives free rein to sentimental excesses. But like Mozart always, Tchaikovsky 's music often hides the drama beneath a more pleasant exterior.

The musical choice included in this book attempts to present this dual aspect through interpretations that are entirely consistent with the vision and existential concerns of the Russian composer.