Boris Tchaikovsky had his musical training at the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied with Shostakovich, Myaskovsky and Shebalin. He profited from the changes in Russia in the 1960s, developing his own particularly Russian musical language, rather than turning, like some of his contemporaries, to the latest experimental trends of the West.

Music
Tchaikovsky was a prolific composer, his works including four symphonies, four instrumental concertos, six string quartets, a variety of chamber and orchestral music for various ensembles, piano and vocal music, and a quantity of music for the cinema. The suites The Murmuring Forest and After the Ball are based on music written for radio plays.