Composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky is famous for all the wrong reasons. Portrayed as a hopeless romantic, a suffering melancholic, or a morbid obsessive, the Tchaikovsky we think we know is a shadow of a fascinating reality. It is all too easy to forget that he composed an empire’s worth of music, and navigated the imperial Russian court to great advantage.

In his lecture, Dr. Simon Morrison will recreate Tchaikovsky’s complex world and redefine his most famous works: his opera Eugene Onegin, as well as his ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. Dr. Morrison will consider his sexuality, teaching career, financial situation, failed marriage, and the circumstances of his death. He will also focus on his defense of beauty and accessibility in music and the representation of the happinesses and sorrows uniting all of us.