Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born to a middle class family in Votkinsk, Russia in 1840. Before he started to study composition he studied law for nine years. In 1863, he went to the St. Petersburg Conservatory for two years. He then went to Moscow to become the professor of harmony at a new conservatory.

While he was at the conservatory, Tchaikovsky became acquainted with a group of Russian composers. They later rejected him for being too classical and not sufficiently Russian. However later, another Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky wrote that Tchaikovsky's music, although with European influences, was more Russian than other music that had been labelled as Russian.

Tchaikovsky, along with Brahms, is probably the most performed of the late 19th century composers. He is particularly well known for writing beautiful melodies. Two of his most famous compositions are the Nutcracker Suite and the 1812 Overture. For this concert, the orchestra will be playing the 'Finale' from the 4th Symphony.