Here are views of Tchaikovsky by a wide range of his contemporaries - from all periods of his life. In letters, diaries, and interviews, they speak of little-known facets of the composer's life: foibles and manners, politics and tastes, prejudices and preferences (sexual and otherwise).

Friends, relatives, musicians, journalists, and state officials show us both the public and the private figure: the student at the School of Jurisprudence, the conductor, the professor at the Conservatory, the philanthropist and promoter of talent, the loving brother and uncle, the intrepid traveler, and the man who impressed a range of people - from servants to members of the Russian Imperial family.