Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote three ballets. What were they?

While the prolific Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is celebrated for his powerful symphonies and concertos, his contribution to the world of ballet is confined to just three works. However, those three scores—for Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker—would go on to become the most performed and beloved ballets in the entire classical repertoire, forming the cornerstone of the art form.

His first attempt, Swan Lake (1877), was surprisingly a critical failure upon its premiere. The original choreography was considered uninspired, and dancers found Tchaikovsky's rich, symphonic score too complex and difficult to dance to. It wasn't until a major revival in 1895, two years after the composer's death, that the ballet was reimagined into the masterpiece we recognize today.

Tchaikovsky found much greater immediate success with his next two ballets, both collaborations with the legendary choreographer Marius Petipa. Sleeping Beauty (1890) was a triumph from its opening night, and Tchaikovsky himself considered