Peter Ilyich Tchaikowsky was a legendary Russian composer living in the 1800s Soviet Russia - Nadejda von Meck, many years his senior and a widow, wasPeter Ilyich Tchaikowsky was a legendary Russian composer living in the 1800s Soviet Russia - Nadejda von Meck, many years his senior and a widow, was immensely rich (one of her estates was 12000 acres in size) and with an exquisite taste in music. Living in the same era as Tolstoy (they were acquainted), he was born in an era where Russian music had no reputation in the world (then confined to Europe for the Russians), and Russian music had no recognition in Russia itself. His mentors, the Rubenstein brothers established formally the Russian school for music, and introduced him to Madame von Meck, who becomes his patron and then his confidante, as they begin to exchange intimate letters, deciding never to meet in real life.
The letters explore the lives of Tchaikowsky, Madame von Meck, the Rubensteins, and other people that significantly affected their lives.
Their lives, as revealed by the letters, were traumatic. Like Dostoevsky's books, truly tragic. If you like Dostoevsky, you will definitely love this book. These letters were willed by von Meck to her favorite grandson Vladimir (Volichka), and his wife Barbara von Meck corresponded with Bower to publish these letters interspersed with biographical information.
Both of them hid one crucial fact from each other, which invariably colored their whole lives and also their interactions with each other. And yet, they were united by bonds of very touching friendship which long ago became such a habit that they couldn't live apart.
Their deaths too were intriguing - von Meck died three months after Tchaikowsky's death. Thus ended one of the strangest intimacies in all history, and its end was as inexplicable as its course. Seven months before his death, deep in depression and darkness, he had written a work now known as 'The Sixth Symphony', and his brother and confidante Modeste Tchaikowsky referred to it as Peter having written his own requiem.
The best book I read since January this year.
Since the basis of their unusual relationship lay on their taste in music and von Meck's great appreciation for him as a composer, there are often technical details about music they share in their letters. Also, since both of them were frequent travelers to Europe, for recreation as well as for the sake of promoting music, the book also throws light on the global trends in music, and much on the nature of Europeans in the 1800s, especially Germany, Italy and France, which had an immense impact on Russian music.
Dostoevsky was fiction - but you cannot escape the tragedy in this case because it was all true....more
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