Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) began his career as a civil servant but soon turned to music, studying at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, where he later became a professor.

Tchaikovsky composed numerous masterpieces, including his famous ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker, six symphonies, three piano concertos, a violin concerto, the overture Romeo and Juliet, and his best-known opera, Eugene Onegin.

His collaboration with choreographer Marius Petipa was particularly fruitful. The fact that Petipa sometimes specified his requirements down to the exact beat seemed to inspire Tchaikovsky even more.

During his lifetime, Tchaikovsky was a renowned and celebrated composer. He also achieved great success as a conductor, not only in Russia but also in Europe and the United States. He successfully fused influences from Western European classical music with Russian musical traditions.