Sleeping Beauty Waltz

In Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's letters, the subject of ballet has a relatively modest status compared to that of opera, for example. In contrast to the brevity and restraint that characterize Tchaikovsky's own opinion of his ballets, these letters nevertheless demonstrate the composer's extraordinary interest in his works from the perspective of their development.

Tchaikovsky's letters on "The Sleeping Beauty" allow us to closely follow all the steps of the work on this ballet in terms of instrumentation, elaboration and ballet rehearsals. He never missed an opportunity to praise Vsevoloshky's libretto. He obviously valued his work as highly as that of Marius Petipa and spoke of "our ballet" in the case of "Sleeping Beauty". The work on this work gave him the peace of mind he so often missed during the time he had worked on Swan Lake.

On 25 July 1889 he wrote to Nadezhda von Meck: "It seems to me, my dear friend, that music for this ballet is one of my best works. The pattern is so poetic, almost perfect for translating into music. As I received it, I was literally carried by the warmth and the desire that always determines the value of a work..."