This edition includes a line by line English translation together with the native Russian (written in Cyrillic) for the opera goer.

The great Russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a compulsive letter writer.

Their views on many musical, literary, philosophical, and other matters are stated frankly and, though they are often in accord, they are not afraid to agree to differ either.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's life - and premature death - has long been mythologised and misunderstood. John Suchet draws back the curtain to show us the real man behind the music. A shy, emotional child, Tchaikovsky came late to composing as a career. Doubting himself at every turn and keenly wounded by criticism, he went on to become one of the world's best-loved composers. Yet behind the success lay sadness: the death of his mother haunted him all his life, while his incessant attempts to suppress his homosexuality took a huge toll. From his disastrous marriage to his extraordinary relationship with his female patron, his many amorous liaisons and his devotion to friends and family, Suchet shows us how the complexity of Tchaikovsky's emotional life plays out in his music. Long hidden behind sanitised depictions by his brother and the Russian authorities, Tchaikovsky: The Man Revealed examines the complex and contradictory character of this great artist, and how he came to take his rightful place among the world's greatest composers.

Eugene Onegin is the most popular of Tchaikovsky's operas. Entitled 'Lyrical Scenes after Pushkin' by the composer, the work takes as its basis the poem of the same name by the great Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. Its story of the unrequited love of Tatyana for the world-weary Onegin has exerted an irresistible hold over audiences for over a hundred years. With its combination of intimate private moments and sumptuous public scenes, the opera is one of the most fully achieved ever written.In this guide there is an article comparing Pushkin's original with its treatment in the opera, a detailed musical analysis and an appreciation of Tchaikovsky's particular skill as a word-setter. An essay on its performance history details the contributions of the most notable artists who have taken part in productions of the work. Illustrations, a thematic guide, the full libretto with English translation and reference sections are also included.Contains:Pushkin into Tchaikovsky, Caryl EmersonTchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Roland John WileyAn Appreciation of Eugene Onegin, Natalia ChallisA Domestic Love, Marina Frolova-WalkerEugene Onegin: A Selective Performance History, John AllisonEugene Onegin: Libretto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Konstantin Shilovsky and Modest Tchaikovsky after the novel in verse by Alexander PushkinEugene Onegin: English Translation by Opernfuehrer