Sleeping Beauty Waltz by Transhumanity published on 2012-01-20T22:06:27Z

Perhaps the best known of all Russian composers, Tchaikovsky had a genius for creating melodies and a mastery of musical structure that allowed him to reach directly to the hearts of his listeners. Tchaikovsky revitalised ballet music, giving it stature and dignity. Except for the works of Minkus and Delibes, most ballet music was a series of mediocre tunes strung together in the flimsiest manner. With Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, ballet music was raised to its highest level.