Peter Tchaikovsky: Fear and Loathing in St. Petersburg

M1, T2: Russian classical music composer Peter Tchaikovsky was gay and lived a double life, as Prof. Robert Greenberg examines in this episode. A complex and troubled man, Tchaikovsky was so overly sensitive that he would weep at the slightest hint of criticism or conflict. He suffered from depression, and self medicated with massive doses of nicotine and alcohol. To deflect any rumor surrounding his sexuality, Tchaikovsky got married at age 37, but immediately became miserable as a husband. His seeming death from cholera is uncovered to be a farce, and the truth is revealed to be something much more scandalous.