150 years after his death Tchaikovsky remains a controversial & enigmatic figure. His enormous popularity as a composer has never faded, yet the character of the man himself continues to conjure up paradoxes. David Brown has drawn together a fascinating collection of reminiscences & contemporary documents, many of them never before translated into English. They provide a chronicle of Tchaikovsky's upbringing in Russia & the early years of his career, as well as impressions of his extensive European concert tours. The memoirs of colleagues & pupils shed valuable light on the mysterious circumstances of his death. Illustrations.