“Toly, your general silence makes me uneasy. I begin to think something serious has happened, or one of you is ill. I am particularly puzzled about Modeste. I am aware that my _Tempest_ was performed a few days ago. Why does no one write a word about it? After my quartet, Modeste wrote at considerable length, and also Mademoiselle Maloziomov. Now--not a soul, except Stassov. Most strange! “I am now completely absorbed in the composition of a pianoforte concerto. I am very anxious Rubinstein should play it at his concert. The work progresses very slowly, and does not turn out well. However, I stick to my intentions, and hammer pianoforte passages out of my brain: the result is nervous irritability. For this reason I should like to take a trip to Kiev for the sake of the rest, although this city has lost nine-tenths of its charms for me now Toly does not live there. For this reason, too, I hate _The Oprichnik_ with all my heart....[40] “To-morrow the overture to my ‘unfinished opera’ will be given here.” The “unfinished opera” is none other than _Vakoula the Smith_. The overture had no success, but Tchaikovsky received the customary fee of 300 roubles from the Musical Society. _To Modeste Tchaikovsky._ “_November_ 26_th_ (_December_ 8_th_). “ ... You do not write a word (about _The Tempest_), and Maloziomova is silent too. Laroche’s criticism has enraged me. With what _schadenfreude_ he points out that I imitate Litolff, Schumann, Berlioz, Glinka, and God knows whom besides. As though I could do nothing but compile! I am not hurt that he does not like _The Tempest_. I expected as much, and I am quite contented that he should merely praise the details of the work. It is the general tone of his remarks that annoys me; the insinuation that I have borrowed everything from other composers and have nothing of my own....” The hyper-sensitiveness which Tchaikovsky shows in this letter is a symptom of that morbid condition of mind, of which more will be said as the book advances. On December 9th Tchaikovsky attended the first performance of _The Oprichnik_ at Kiev, and wrote an account of the event for the _Russky Viedomosti_. The opera had a great success, and remained in the repertory of the Kiev Opera House throughout the entire season. _To Modeste Tchaikovsky._ “_January_ 6_th_ (18_th_) 1875.