Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony

Programme

Enjoy one of the richest emotional experiences in classical music: Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony, paired with Grieg’s timeless Piano Concerto.

Tchaikovsky described his final symphony  as “the best thing I have composed or will ever compose”, and to many listeners it encompasses hope and despair, joy and heartbreak, life and death.

At the height of his powers, Tchaikovsky overturned many of the conventions of the symphony. The second movement, which at first sounds like a graceful waltz, in fact has an unsettling five beats in a bar, the third ends with a blaze of brass and percussion which would have made the perfect triumphant finale, and the actual finale ends with a devastating descent into silence.

Grieg’s Piano Concerto launches from its unforgettable opening into music of passion and drama infused with the unique rhythms and melodies of his Norwegian home in two thrilling outer movements. At the heart of the piece lies the gentle theme of the second movement, its solemn mood evoking the sounds of a church chorale before being illuminated by the entry of the expressive piano.