WKCR is thrilled to celebrate the birthday of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky on Sunday, May 7th with a 24-hour celebration broadcast on FM and HD radio and online! The broadcast will preempt all regularly-scheduled Sunday Shows.

Tchaikovsky’s music journey began at the age of five with piano lessons. Despite his parents’ wishes for him to work in civil service, he could not stop his fascination with music, which increased at the age of 14 in the aftermath of his mother’s death. He was musically trained and one of the first students to start composing at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.

A trailblazer in 19th century Romanticism for merging Russian and Western themes, Tchaikovsky wore his heart on his sleeve and allowed for his compositions to depict his internal dilemmas. Employing these sentiments, he utilized innovative harmonies and dynamics to evoke feelings of introspection, love, life, and death. The use of anticipation towards a climactic ending often appeared in his works. His storytelling through sonorous symphonies and orchestrations continues to be a part of conversations amongst Western classical music scholars today. Tchaikovsky has most notably influenced fellow composer Igor Stravisky, who saw a performance of The Sleeping Beauty at the age of eight.

Our broadcast will feature the wide range in Tchaikovsky’s composing: Chamber works, Ballets, Symphonies, Orchestral works, Vocal works, and Piano works. A programming schedule for each theme can be found on our social media. Follow WKCR on Instagram (@wkcr) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for further updates. Online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org through our web stream.