Tchaikovsky – an Elegy

This animated short film, a musical biography depicting the legendary life of the great master Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was directed and written by the master of stop-motion animation, Barry Purves. Under a full moon, from a slightly ajar door emerges the elderly Tchaikovsky. It is as if he has stepped into paintings that revisit his life, vividly portraying the honors and disgraces he experienced. He removes his hat and prays devoutly. Uncovering the draped cloth, he begins a magical performance. His fingers deftly play in the air, conjuring the delicate and fluid piano music that flows like water. Projected before him are faded old photographs. At this moment, it is his own luxurious solo concert. He tears up the musical score, takes a rose in hand, and begins to dance. The woman in the projection is his beloved. As the lights dim, he prostrates himself on the ground. Soon, he rises again to play his music, met with thunderous applause from below. Yet, when the lights shine brightly once more, he appears so utterly at a loss. On the stage where rose petals flutter, the final movement of his life's symphony is at last performed. But as everything comes to a close, he silently retreats into the house from which he came—all but an illusion. As part of a series of short films about classical composers called ‘Tales of the old Piano’ this film was produced in 2011 by Irina Margolina for Studio M.I.R. in Moscow, and with Glenn Holberton at Loose Moose in London. Using Tchaikovsky’s music and pieces from his diary and letters, this reflective and melancholy film sees Tchaikovsky wondering if he has achieved enough in his life. The puppet, by Mackinnon and Saunders, now resides in Tchaikovsky’s house in Klin, outside Moscow.