He died at the age of 53 from Cholera, which apparently may have been self inflictedвЂ¦Дebussy left his wife for another woman provoking a scandal in Parisian high society and causing their exclusion from their social circles. Tchaikovsky did therefore have a somewhat justified fear of social rejection.

In 19th century Russia homosexuality was punishable by imprisonment, loss of all rights and banishment. This was in part due to his motherвЂ™s early death and the fact that he had to keep his homosexuality hidden. Tchaikovsky the one and only, the greatest ballet composer to have ever lived suffered from heavy depression and personal crises leading to a suicide attempt (he was also married for sometime to a crazy fan called Antonina Milyukova). Not to mention an overbearing sexual appetite displayed through his fathering of no less than 20 children. He was also quick to draw his weapons and once threatened a student with his sword. Nope, he was tossed in jail when he told his boss to get lost and left for a more interesting job. ItвЂ™s almost too much talent to take in at once.Д«ach wasnвЂ™t your run of the mill, wig wearing musical boffin. Yep youвЂ™ve guessed it, WagnerвЂ™s interpretation of the mythological tale is said (though some would dispute this) to have been one of TolkienвЂ™s greatest inspirations, he himself considered one of the greatest writers of all time. The ring was forged by the Nibelung dwarf from gold he stole from the Rhine maidens in the river Rhine. The complete opera, which lasts a staggering 15 hours revolves around a magic ring that gives power to rule the world.

In short Wagner never really got his act together, but was nevertheless able to deliver one of the most incredible operas of all time: an epic four part opera saga called The Ring of the Nibelung. He spent 12 years in exile in Germany, had no regular income and his philandering ways caused his wife to fall into deep depression. WagnerвЂ™s life was an incredibly long sequence of political exile, raunchy and destructive love affairs, poverty and running from creditors. Here is why itвЂ™s worth taking a dive into classical music: smell the revolutionary air, learn more about the vintage #thuglife, hear the grumble of strife and change, lend an ear to ten badasses who really played with fire when they composed music.

So if you consider Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball subversive, defiant and bold in a digital age where provocation has become marketed exploited and therefore oh so commonplace, you havenвЂ™t been properly acquainted with Richard Wagner, Chopin and Beethoven. I made public my Wagner playlist and embraced the classical world for all to see fully convinced that, and as Morley states, вЂњclassical music is a move to where the provocative, and transformative ideas areвЂќ. However after reading a fascinating article by Paul Morley, who considers that pop music belongs to the last century and classical music is in fact the actual real revolutionary music, I felt a sudden sense of musical freedom. So yes, classical music leaves an impression of conservative and clichГ©d music for old age pensioners with a penchant for barley water. For many, classical music is like a really bad episode of the madeleine childhood memories of endless dreary afternoons at their great-auntвЂ™s house staring at suffocating brown wallpaper listening to Stravinsky while chomping on stale bourbon biscuits. ItвЂ™s funny how classical music is perceived: dusty, prehistoric and for some anxiety provoking. I am also surrounded by people who are averse to classical music, which really doesnвЂ™t help me embrace the genre. I rarely swerve off the beaten track, not because I donвЂ™t want to but because I just donвЂ™t know where to begin. I have always enjoyed a bit of classical music not that I consider myself an expert, far from it.

Classical composer