Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)

I was not planning to write anything on my blog today, mainly because of lack of time, but I cannot allow this day to go by without noticing that Piotr Ilytch Tchaikovsky was born on a day like this one, May 7th of 1840. He was born in Votkinsk, Russia. Tchaikovsky who composed marvelous music, was also a different kind of person, to say the least. Extremely sensitive, with obsessive tendencies; for example, his composition instructor asked him to write some variations, so he did not sleep and wrote two hundred of them overnight. Painfully shy for most of his life; probably neurotic, and with a tremendous difficulty to develop personal relationships. He married his wife after she declared her love for him through a letter; their marriage lasted one month after which they separated. When that happened, he became very ill and unable to work for a while. His works were not successful at the beginning. It took time. It was hard for him, because he had to support himself as a teacher in order to make a living. However, his life improved after he met the second woman in his life, Mrs. Von Meck. She was a wealthy widow, nine years older than him, who had fallen under the spell of his music. Amazingly, they never spoke in person, they only communicated through correspondence, although they took glances at each other at some of his concerts. This lady paid Tchaikovky a salary in order for him to dedicate his time only to compose. They also initiated an intense exchange of ideas and opinions that encompassed 1,200 letters throughout the years their relationship lasted. From that time on, the composer felt free to dedicate himself to his music, becoming successful to the point of traveling to other countries to present his work; having lost by then most of his obsessive shyness. I will never stop at feeling amazed by the mixed of genius and internal "hell" that are often found in those, like Tchaikovsky, who had the "panache" to create beyond what is thought to be possible. Thanks Maestro for the 1812 Overture, for Swan Lake, for The Nutcracker, and an almost endless list of other marvelous things …!!

IN SPANISH

No pensaba escribir nada en mi blog, en gran parte debido a la falta de tiempo, pero no puedo dejar pasar este día sin hacer mención que hoy es el aniversario del nacimiento del gran compositor Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky. Nacido en Votkinsk, Rusia, el 7 de Mayo de 1840. Tchaikovsky quien compuso música maravillosa también era una persona distinta por decir lo menos. Extremadamente sensible, con tendencias obsesivas, ejemplo, su profesor de composición le pidió que compusiera unas Variaciones y el no durmió en toda la noche y compuso doscientas. Demasiado tímido.por gran parte de su vida; probablemente neurótico, y con una dificultad tremenda para desarrollar relaciones personales. Se casó con su primera esposa después que ella le manifesto su amor en una carta; duró un mes de casado y la separación le afectó tanto que estuvo gravemente enfermo y paralizó su trabajo de compositor. Sus trabajos no fueron aceptados al principio. Le tomó tiempo, Le costaba ya que tenía que trabajar como profesor para ganarse la vida; sin embargo, al parecer su vida se mejoró al conocer a la segunda mujer de su vida, la Sra. Von Meck. Ella era una viuda millonaria, nueve años mayor que Tchaikovsky, quien había caído bajo el encanto de su música. Curiosamente nunca hablaron en persona, solo se comunicaron a través de correspondencia, aunque se vieron en los conciertos del músico. Esta dama le pagó un sueldo a Tchaikovsky para que se dedicara sólo a componer además de iniciar un extenso intercambio de opiniones e ideas a traves de 1,200 cartas en el transcurso de los años que duro su relacion. Desde entonces, el compositor se sintió libre de dedicarse nada más que a su música, llegando a ser exitoso hasta el punto de viajar a otros paises a presentar sus trabajos; habiendo perdido ya gran parte de su obsesiva timidez. Nunca me deja de asombrar la mezcla de sabiduria e "infiernos" internos que a menudo se encuentra en aquellos que como Tchaikovsky han tenido la "panache" de crear mas alla de lo que se piensa posible. Gracias al Maestro por la Obertura 1812, por el Lago de los Cisnes, por Cascanueces, y un sinfin de otras maravillas ...!!