Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, “Pathétique”
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

THE STORY

Tchaikovsky provided no clues as to the story intended behind his Sixth Symphony and in fact wrote to his favorite nephew saying “Let them guess!” The French title given to the work is pathétique, but the composer’s title in Russian would translate as “passionate” or “emotional.” Though it is tempting to see the darkness of the work as a clear sign of Tchaikovsky’s impending death, which came only a few days after he conducted the premiere, there is little evidence to suggest the composer intended to take his own life.

Though it received a frosty response from critics, Tchaikovsky had written to his nephew, “To me, it would be typical and unsurprising if this symphony were torn to pieces or little appreciated… But I would absolutely consider it to be the best, and in particular, the most sincere of all my creations. I love it as I have never loved any of my other musical offspring.”

LISTEN FOR

• The juxtaposition of two themes in the first movement of the Symphony: the first extraordinarily dark with the bassoon playing in its lower register, the second—one of the most memorable melodies in classical music—introduced by the strings

  The disjointed five-beat time of the second movement waltz giving it a stumbling, uneven feel

• The virtuosity of the winds and strings in the opening of the third movement—scampering music which transforms into a triumphant march

• The quiet, hopeless finale to the fourth movement, a contrast to the dramatic conclusions of previous Tchaikovsky symphonies

INSTRUMENTATION

Piccolo, three flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, strings