The Pathetic Symphony: A Novel of Tchaikovsky’s Final Secret
From World Fantasy Award-winning author and internationally acclaimed maestro S.P. Somtow comes a breathtaking, lyrical masterpiece that bridges the worlds of high drama and classical music, after the critical acclaim of his historical novel Nero and Sporus.
In the twilight of 19th-century Russia, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is a man suffocating under the weight of his own genius—and a secret that could destroy him. Amidst the rigid oppression of the Tsarist empire, his ultimate muse is neither fame nor the idealized women of his operas, but Vladimir "Bob" Davydov: his brilliant, beautiful, and devastatingly beloved nephew.
A Dangerous, Forbidden Passion: Enter a world of whispered encounters and overwhelming longing. Somtow masterfully charts the intense, clandestine emotional and physical bond between the aging composer and the young man who held his heart captive.
The Code in the Chords:
Unravel the true, tragic inspiration behind Tchaikovsky's final masterpiece. The Sixth Symphony (Pathétique) is decoded not merely as a musical triumph, but as a sweeping, agonized suicide note written in five-line staff—a public confession of a forbidden homosexual identity that the world was not ready to hear.
A Maestro’s Touch:
Written with the rare insight of an author who is himself a celebrated symphonic conductor and opera composer, every page pulses with the authentic rhythm, sweat, and heartbeat of classical composition.
‘The music is not just sound. It is a shroud for the living, a monument for a love that dare not speak its name.’
Genre: Historical
From World Fantasy Award-winning author and internationally acclaimed maestro S.P. Somtow comes a breathtaking, lyrical masterpiece that bridges the worlds of high drama and classical music, after the critical acclaim of his historical novel Nero and Sporus.
In the twilight of 19th-century Russia, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is a man suffocating under the weight of his own genius—and a secret that could destroy him. Amidst the rigid oppression of the Tsarist empire, his ultimate muse is neither fame nor the idealized women of his operas, but Vladimir "Bob" Davydov: his brilliant, beautiful, and devastatingly beloved nephew.
A Dangerous, Forbidden Passion: Enter a world of whispered encounters and overwhelming longing. Somtow masterfully charts the intense, clandestine emotional and physical bond between the aging composer and the young man who held his heart captive.
The Code in the Chords:
Unravel the true, tragic inspiration behind Tchaikovsky's final masterpiece. The Sixth Symphony (Pathétique) is decoded not merely as a musical triumph, but as a sweeping, agonized suicide note written in five-line staff—a public confession of a forbidden homosexual identity that the world was not ready to hear.
A Maestro’s Touch:
Written with the rare insight of an author who is himself a celebrated symphonic conductor and opera composer, every page pulses with the authentic rhythm, sweat, and heartbeat of classical composition.
‘The music is not just sound. It is a shroud for the living, a monument for a love that dare not speak its name.’
Genre: Historical