Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)

The Symphony No. 6 " Pathétique " in B minor (Op. 74) is the last work of Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. It is characteristic for the symphonies unusual, slow final movement, recalls the end of a requiem. Tchaikovsky regarded the symphony as his most personal and most important composition. He died a few days after the premiere, which was recorded behavior, and never saw any of the later triumph of the symphony.

Formation

Two years after the premiere of his Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op 64 Tchaikovsky planned, as he wrote to his friend, the Grand Duke Constantine, " to write a grand symphony, which is to form the keystone of all my creative work ." After various attempts, the planned symphony took shape in 1893.

The draft Symphony in E Flat Major by 1892 took Tchaikovsky essential parts of the program to " death ", the " result of destruction " gave more (which again rejected Symphony draft of " momentum, confidence, activity, desire " in the first sentence with a confident Finale of this program); it looked before further: " The second movement is love; the third disappointment; the fourth ends dying away. " the new symphony was originally called also program symphony.

After a concert tour in 1893, he outlined the work in Klin within twelve days. As his brother Modest Tchaikovsky wrote him this time the orchestration was heavier than usual, but it was finally completed after four weeks. So Tchaikovsky was at his honorary doctorate at King's College at the UK's University of Cambridge the conductor Walter Damrosch notify the completion of his new symphony, pointing to the contrast to his other symphonies out: " The last sentence is an adagio, and the entire plant has a program ".

Yuri Davydov, the youngest nephew of the composer, tells of the poignant effect of the symphony at the dress rehearsal present to the participating musicians and Tchaikovsky's friends, such as the conductor Eduard Napravnik and the composer Alexander Glazunov. Grand Duke Constantine did not say to Tchaikovsky: "What have you done?! That's a requiem, a real Requiem, ". The proposal of the Grand Duke, to add sound to the Requiem seal died on August 17, 1893 Russian poet Alexei Apukhtin, Tchaikovsky refused on the grounds that he would be running too much risk to repeat itself, and added that he "In this Symphony down "his" whole soul "had.

Tchaikovsky dedicated his Symphony No. 6 Vladimir Davydov and his nephew, wrote him that her " program but should not be for all a mystery ," and described this as a " through and through subjective". Since the program should remain secret, the epithet no longer pleased him program symphony, and he responded the day after the premiere thrilled to Modest proposal to call the symphony " pathetic ".

Orchestra

3 flutes (III. also piccolo ), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba - timpani, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam - Strings

About the Music

In his letter to his nephew Vladimir Davydov to Tchaikovsky expresses not just about his last symphony program, but also announcing on: " In form, the symphony will offer many new options, including the finale no noisy Allegro, but - on the contrary - be a very long stretched Adagio. "

A performance of the symphony lasts about 50 minutes, of which the first set for about 20 minutes, the second and third set of approximately 8 min and the last sentence of about 13 to 14 minutes.

First Set

• H-Moll/H-Dur, 4/4-time, sonata form

The movement begins with a somber Adagio introduction. About pedal points of the divided double basses exposed the solo bassoon in the lower register a motive ( see note Example 1), which will be converted to the main theme of the sonata- allegro later ( see note Example 2). This main theme is presented by the divided violas, using a Saltando motif ( saltando (Italian ) = dancing ) develops and eventually led to a climax with fanfare in the brass. After a brief reconciliation, the famous page theme is heard in D major ( see note Example 3). The page set is designed in ternary form. The Saltando motif of the main theme group will be taken up again in the middle part. The exposure fades in sixfold piano (!) Bassoon ( this point is often taken in practice by the bass clarinet). With a sudden Tutti impact the implementation begins. Initially brings an excited fugal on the main theme, then a quote from the Russian requiem. Climax of the development and the whole sentence is the return to the recapitulation over a pedal point fis the timpani and double basses. The recapitulation waived the main theme; it is immediately presented the topic page. The chorale-like coda can finish the sentence quietly in B major.

Second sentence

• D major, 5/4-Takt, Three-part form

Some relaxation of the lamentation of the first set of promises waltz -like second movement, which is held in common in the Russian folk music 5/4-Takt ( see note Example 4).

Third set

• G Major, 12/8- or 4/4-time, Scherzoform

The third set goes beyond a classical Scherzo: In the restless wandering of the woodwind instrument plays a march after another, until it is finally presented by the clarinet as an issue ( see note Example 5). After a few repetitions of the energetic march sets a powerful finale that set.

Fourth proposition

• B Minor, 3/4-time, Three-part form

It was undoubtedly ventured to the formation time of the symphony, to provide a slow movement at the end of a multi-movement concerto work. ( A former comparable example still is the slow coda of the fast finale of the so-called " Farewell Symphony" by Joseph Haydn called. ) The strings intone a relationship of painful chromaticism sighing motif ( see note Example 6), which in the middle part a comforting fuller Andante is compared with topic ( see note example 7). The recapitulation of the first section ends in the coda, which opens with a sombre tom-tom beat. It follows a solemn chorale in the brass and a minor variation of the Andante theme from the middle section. Hopeless, resignation and tragically dies the symphony in a B minor chord in the lower strings. A "Requiem" for a life full of melancholy and low blows.

The Tchaikovsky admirer of Gustav Mahler took over the idea of a slow final movement in his Symphony No. 3 and Symphony No. 9.

Effect

On October 28, 1893 Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere of the work in St. Petersburg, where it was taken, however, rather moderate by the audience. Tchaikovsky found it a pity that he could convince audiences "neither the orchestra, that this is my best work ," and that he never would be able to write something better. A few days before his death, the composer wrote to his publisher Jurgenson: "Something strange has happened to the symphony! Not that they dislike, but that the people do not know what to do with her. As for me, I 'm more proud of it than any of my other compositions. «.

Nephew, Yuri Davydov reported on the other hand, the audience would react first with emotion and then with enthusiasm to the symphony; otherwise reports, etc. of the composer Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov did not correspond to the truth.

After Tchaikovsky's sudden death on November 6, 1893 ( the theories about the cause of death ranging from careless infection with cholera through to sentencing Tchaikovsky by a " court of honor " because of his homosexuality ) Eduard Nápravník led the work on again. According to Rimsky -Korsakov's statement took " the audience the work of this time with enthusiasm ," and it " began the unprecedented victory run of the plant by Russia and throughout Europe ."