Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was bestowed with a rare musical gift, but burdened by demons of self-doubt and passions forbidden in 19th century Russia.
He struggled to release the music inside his head. And equally, to find romantic fulfillment that always remained just beyond his reach. He was deeply affected by the women in his life – those he loved, those he despised, and those whose affection he longed so badly to hold. Yet, aside from music, his truest passion was reserved only for men.
Tchaikovsky refused to abide by the rules of the musical establishment of his time. Assailed by critics as being ‘neither Russian nor German,’ he endured scathing criticism, which he often took to heart, destroying many of his own ‘imperfect’ compositions.
This compelling new work takes you inside the head of Pyotr – from age seven to his untimely death at fifty-three. It also provides a layman’s guide to his music and his musical influences, and the techniques Tchaikovsky used to chart his musical destiny.
Reader comments:
“I love it! It's moving and makes me want to hear the music.”
'Flawlessly researched and completely engaging.'
“You cry out in anguish as your mother and sisters disappear into the distance, leaving you all alone in a strange place, at such a tender young age; or wince in pain with lashings from the tutor.”
“As a musician myself, I nodded in understanding as Pyotr describes how the music of Mozart moves him to tears, while the notes appear as pictures in his mind.”
“I appreciated the intimate focus on Pyotr.”
“I felt compelled to play some Tchaikovsky after reading this, and settled on the first movement of the Manfred symphony.”
Go behind the scenes and journey into the life and music of one of the world’s most popular composers with Pyotr - The Life and Music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Two women connected by the same musical soul are transposed across time into each other’s world by the mysterious forces of a priceless 18th-century cello. A story of music, history, and love that finds a way to conquer the barriers of time.
In the final instalment of the Song for a Lost Kingdom trilogy, Adeena Stuart and Katharine Carnegie search for the music neither can complete on their own.
Finding themselves living three centuries apart and each assuming the identity of the other, Adeena and Katharine must overcome their own unique challenges, all the while hiding the truth of who they really are from those around them.
Adeena is pregnant in Scotland following the slaughter at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. Her husband James Drummond and his brother John Drummond, are being hunted as Jacobite traitors by the revengeful butchers of King George’s Hanoverian army.
Katharine meanwhile awakes in the year 2019, confused by even the simplest technologies and overwhelmed by the strange customs of the modern world.
Pregnant from an unknown father, and uncertain about whether true love lies in the past or present, she finds respite in her music and the only thing familiar about this strange place – the Duncan Cello, now a prize artifact of the National Gallery of Canada.
Adeena and Katharine find a way to compose a score that reflects their turmoil in both their lives – The Heart Beats in Time.
Together they will see the story through to the final bars.
Audiobook read by Bethany Mason, Tom McLean, Louisa McLean and Erica Vogt.
Original music by Paul van Geldrop, Ania Hejnar, Marc Moretti and Alex Gheorghie. Lyrics by Steve Moretti
Vocals: 'The Heart Beats in Time' and 'Song for a Lost Kingdom' performed by Ania Hejnar. 'A Foolish Man' performed by Marc Moretti
Music is not bound by time.
And Adeena Stuart is not bound by anything that will stop her from saving the man she’s fallen in love with, even though he’s been dead for almost three hundred years.
In Book II of the Song for a Lost Kingdom trilogy, her music provides the portal to to James Drummond who is fighting along side Prince Charles Edward Stuart in the 1746 Jacobite uprising. Though their cause is doomed, and James is destined to die shortly after the Battle of Culloden, Adeena’s determination never wavers.
Left behind in the present, her friends and families are equally determined to return her to 2019 before the expanding growth in her head becomes fatal and they lose her forever. Throughout it all, the music sweeps across those in both the past and present in this novel of history, romance and science fiction
This audiobook version features two talented voice actors: Tom McLean from Glasgow and Bethany Mason from Montana. Original music by Paul van Geldrop and Marc Moretti and haunting vocal performances by soprano Ania Hejnar and Marion Arthur.
Get swept away in this time-travel adventure powered by music.
“What a page-turner.' - Lili Marcus.
It would take two women separated by time to make music with the power to change history.
Adeena Stuart and Katharine Carnegie were born nearly three centuries apart. Yet their music and an ancient cello connect them
Adeena Stuart and Katharine Carnegie were born nearly three centuries apart. Yet their music and an ancient cello connect them to each other and to a man doomed to die in 1746 after the Battle of Culloden.
Katharine passion is her music, but she is lost for words to complete it in 1745 Scotland. Adeena is a rebellious teenage musician in 2003.
While Katharine must decide which brother she supports in the uprising against England, Adeena and her psychic grandmother glimpse the past calling out to the present.
In this Prequel to the best-selling Song for a Lost Kingdom series, the origins of the story unfold as the Scottish parliament votes itself out of existence in on January 7, 1707. The Drummond's and Carnegie's vow to stand united against it, even though it means they will lose everything they hold most dear.
Original music by Paul van Geldrop.
The Prequel to a time-travel historical fantasy series powered by a mysterious 18th century cello that bridges the divide of time between two passionate women who live for their music and find their lives and loves forever intertwined.
A kingdom is lost. A song is born.
When the Union with England is accepted by the Scottish Parliament on 16 January 1707, many swear they will never accept the loss of their fiercely independent nation. The ones who seek to preserve a lost kingdom divide families and destroys the lives of many.
The consequences ripple through time until a generation later Katharine is lost for words to complete her symphonic masterpiece in 1745. The Jacobite rebellion is sweeping across Scotland, pitting her two brothers against each other.
Meanwhile in 2003, Adeena a rebellious teenage cellist and composer living in Canada is tortured by haunted dreams of her visiting grandmother from Scotland. The dreams connect Adeena to Katharine’s untitled uncompleted song from the 18th century.
In the Prequel to the highly acclaimed ‘Song for a Lost Kingdom’ series, the origins of the story and the characters unfold in dramatic fashion.
Get swept away by this time slip adventure powered by music.
Voice actors Tom McLean and Bethany Mason combine their talents to lift the story off the page and into your heart. Original music by Paul van Geldrop.
