Ushering in the season of The Nutcracker, EXPLORING MUSIC (weekdays 1000) pays tribute to the Russian Romantic composer Peter Tchaikovsky. Though shunned by some other Russian composers as sounding “too Western”, Tchaikovsky was loved throughout the world as a great Russian composer. Caught between East and West, he created his own sound— a sound that to this day is still treasured and that Russians are proud to call their own.
Starting with the music of an important influence, Mikhail Glinka, the show surveys Tchaikovsky’s piano music, songs, string quartets, symphonies, incidental music, ballets, operas, and much more. Host Bill McGlaughlin touches on Tchaikovsky’s infatuation with singer Desiree Artot, his relationship with patroness Nadezhda von Meck, and his connections to musical giants such as Nikolai Rubinstein.