Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, also known as 'Pathétique', is one of the very great symphonies in the history of music. The famous work was performed by the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marek Janowski in this concert at the Kulturpalast Dresden 2019.

(00:00) I. Adagio Allegro non troppo
(17:32) II. Allegro con grazia
(24:54) III. allegro molto vivace
(33:49) IV. Finale: Adagio lamentoso

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 1893) took just a few months to compose the Sixth Symphony and he conducted its premiere himself in St. Petersburg on October 28, 1893. Initially Tchaikovsky had called his Sixth 'A Programme Symphony', but after the premiere he unceremoniously gave it the epithet 'Pathetique' – and that is how it has gone down in history.

According to Tchaikovsky, the actual program is full of subjective emotions and is meant to remain a mystery. The 6th Symphony is characterized by a mixture of conventional symphonic structure and certain tragic features. Tragic, for example, is the key of B minor, which is considered somber, and the motif of the falling second, which runs through the entire work like a lament. The sweeping third movement, which seems like a triumphant finale, is surpassed by the fourth movement, which has always been interpreted as a requiem that Tchaikovsky wrote to himself in advance since the Russian composer died only a few days after the premiere of his Symphony No. 6, which received a restrained response.

The second performance of the Pathétique, on the other hand, was a great success, and to this day this frequently performed work is an audience favorite. Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony owes its fame not least to the yearning, melancholy second theme from the first movement (04:32).

© EuroArts Music International

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