Tchaikovsky is one of the most popular composers of all time. His melodies are known to many people who may never have heard his name. They crop up on mobile telephones, alarm clocks and answering machines as often as on records and concert programmes. Like his music, the man himself was widely loved, but his inner life was fraught with sufferings, confusions and a deep vein of self-doubt. The drama of his emotional life is vividly reflected in his music, letters and diaries, all of which play a major part in this intimate portrait-in-sound.

Who was the man behind some of the most intensely emotional music ever written? Who were the influential figures in his life? In this audio set packed full of biographical detail and poignant musical extracts we are led through the course of Tchaikovsky's eventful life. Jeremy Siepmann narrates throughout and Malcolm Sinclair portrays with sincerity this much-loved composer.