Music and Time Annotation << Back Darkness and Light of Late Tchaikovsky (on the 185th Anniversary of His Birth) A.I. Demchenko In the works of P.I. Tchaikovsky in his last years, which coincided with the initial moment of the transition from the previous era to the current one, many tendencies characteristic of the passing culture found their completion, and at the same time some aspects of future art were sensitively anticipated. He managed to convey with sufficient clarity the idea of the beginning of the outcome of the classical-romantic era, emphasizing at the same time the acutely dramatic perception of the maturing breakdown in the inner world of man and in the reality surrounding him. However, in certain aspects, the noted mood also turned out to be a sign of a new perception of life. What was happening was not only a mournful sign of a passing civilization – at the same time it was a sign of entry into a historical zone of colossal collisions and a tragic worldview. Along with the refl ection of the crisis phenomena of his time and in opposition to them, in Tchaikovsky's late works the contours of the then emerging movement for renewal, for new optimism and new activity were outlined with sufficient clarity, which was directly connected with the ascending fl ow of life and which prophesied the birth of the young forces of Russia. This process entailed certain shifts in musical technology: in the depths of the still quite strong classical style, the maturation of elements of new expressiveness began, connected with the disclosure of the signs of the worldview characteristic of a person of the 20th century. Keywords: Tchaikovsky's works, classics, history. DOI: 10.25791/music.6.2025.1362 Pp. 03-09.