tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post545469139986083319..comments2024-03-09T15:11:29.350-08:00Comments on Exotic and irrational entertainment: Following a train of thought: Tchaikovsky's Eugene OneginPessimisissimohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-47776493873922241852013-10-08T01:41:55.188-07:002013-10-08T01:41:55.188-07:00Miranda, as you point out, the relationship betwee...Miranda, as you point out, the relationship between personal pain and artistic expression is a complex one. <i>Eugene Onegin</i> is possibly Tchaikovsky's greatest work. But the crisis of 1877 and the debacle of his marriage would lead him (as he later reported to a friend) to attempt suicide in the early fall of that year.<br /><br />The marriage was doomed from the start. Tchaikovsky was deeply conflicted about his homosexuality, and his motives for marrying Antonina were clearly very mixed. Before the marriage he evidently told her that he could never love her, and that their relationship would be celibate. She agreed to his conditions, but despite her acquiescence he found life with her to be suffocating. The image of two people each deludedly seeking something that the other was incapable of providing is profoundly sad.<br /><br />I, too, find the crisis-filled lives of composers and artists to be intensely interesting, but I'm sometimes skeptical that the emotional upheavals in their lives can be directly read in their work. In the case of Tchaikovsky, Antonina, and <i>Eugene Onegin</i>, though, the parallels between the life and the work seem especially strong. When it comes to "The Duel," it will turn out that the work eerily anticipates the life—and death—of its creator.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment!Pessimisissimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04223566131580795337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186118329509553435.post-60961898670656205492013-10-06T10:56:31.184-07:002013-10-06T10:56:31.184-07:00I had no idea that so many parallels to Tatyana an...I had no idea that so many parallels to Tatyana and Eugene Onegin could be found in the life of the newly-married Tchaikovsky's. I hope Tchaikovsky found some catharsis in creating Eugene Onegin, but least his personal pain produced something the rest of the world could love. <br />Overall, I always enjoy dipping into the personal lives of the great romantic composers. The parallels between life and art are so fascinating. When it comes to Tchaikovsky, obviously his sexuality would not have made for a happy heterosexual marriage. But then again, I don't know how easy it would have been to live with any of the moody, Byronic composers who created some of my favorite music (I think Liszt or Berlioz or Wagner would have been a lot to handle). In a long term relationship, runaway passions can be just as bad as too little passion. <br /> Looking forward to reading "The Duel." <br />~MirandaFilmi~Contrasthttp://filmi-contrast.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com