From Publishers Weekly
Seeking anonymity and peace after his disastrous marriage, Tchaikovsky wandered across Europe, trying to avoid both his wife and his benefactor Nadezhda von Meck. During the next eight years of recovery he wrote a good deal, but none of it was as great in quality as that which preceded or followed. Yet in this third volume of his authoritative biographical and critical study Brown manages to make this relatively fallow period nearly as interesting as Tchaikovsky's previous life and career. His sympathetic picture of the sentimental, nostalgic composer is almost novelistic, and his analysis of even minor works is judicious and convincing. The reader eagerly anticipates the final volume. Photos.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Here is the third volume of a projected series of four on the life and works of Tchaikovsky. (The first two are The Early Years: 1840-1874 and The Crisis Years: 1874-1878 ; LJ 5/15/79, 4/15/83.) With the appearance of this volume, it is safe to assume that the set will eventually represent the definitive research on the composer. Again the author has made use of a source hitherto unavailable: Pisma k rodnim (Moscow, 1940), which comprises letters to relatives and which, for some reason, was suppressed by the Soviets. Brown's skill in interweaving biographical materials with commentary on the music results in a work that is both informative and highly readable. Essential for music collections, both public and academic. J. Richard Belanger, San Diego Cty. Libs.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
