Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky

Sleeping Beauty Waltz

In Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's letters, the subject of ballet has a relatively modest status compared to that of opera, for example. In contrast to the brevity and restraint that characterise Tchaikovsky's own opinion of his ballets, these letters nevertheless demonstrate the composer's extraordinary interest in his works from the perspective of their development.

Tchaikovsky's letters on 'Sleeping Beauty' allow us to follow closely every step of the work on this ballet in terms of orchestration, elaboration and rehearsals. He never missed an opportunity to praise Wsewoloschky's libretto. He obviously valued his work just as highly as that of Marius Petipa and spoke of 'our ballet' in the case of 'The Sleeping Beauty'. Working on this work gave him the peace of mind that he so often missed during the time he was working on 'Swan Lake'.

On 25 July 1889, he wrote to Nadezhda von Meck: "...It seems to me, my dear friend, that the music for this ballet will be one of my best works. The original is so poetic, almost perfect for setting to music. As it sank in, I was literally carried away by the warmth and desire that always determines the value of a work..."