In the Footsteps of Tchaikovsky

The name of Russia s greatest composer evokes the entire musical heritage of Russia itself. Tchaikovsky may be well known, but he has been treated with such reverence that much of what we know is a combination of romance and pure fantasy. Who is the man behind the music and the myth? For our answer we rely on André Lischke, a musicologist and one of the world s leading Tchaikovsky experts. We travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg to trace the life of one of the world s greatest musical talents. Along the way we meet a cast of modern-day musicians, teachers and dancers like Alex Prior, who at the tender age of 14 conducts Tchaikovsky symphonies at the St Petersburg Conservatory.