Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (Part 2)

About this episode

This episode explores the sincerity and unique structure of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, particularly its last two movements.

In a letter to Tchaikovsky's nephew Vladimir Davydov, Tchaikovsky wrote: "I'm very pleased with its content, but dissatisfied, or rather not completely satisfied, with the instrumentation. For some reason it's not coming out as I intended. It would be typical and unsurprising if this symphony were torn to pieces or little appreciated, as that wouldn't be the first time such a thing had happened. But I 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." I'm returning to that word sincere this week for Part 2, because it's the through line that makes Tchaikovsky's music so immediately arresting. You always know exactly where you stand with Tchaikovsky, since he always seems to be speaking so honestly in his music. Well, almost always. The last two movements of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony are among the most fascinating in the entire Western classical repertoire, and the reason for their fascination (beyond simply being wonderful movements) is the order in which Tchaikovsky places them. In a typical symphony, the third movement would be either a fast scherzo or a slow…

People in this episode

Host: Joshua Weilerstein

Topics covered

• Tchaikovsky
• Symphony No. 6
• classical music
• musical analysis
• sincerity in music

Keywords

• Tchaikovsky
• Symphony No. 6
• classical repertoire
• musical structure
• sincerity

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