He must have been depressed/suicidal/about to become the victim of an anti-homosexual secret court (one of the more recent and most ludicrous theories behind Tchaikovskys death on 5 November 1893, nine days after he had premiered the Sixth Symphony) to have composed this! 6 Yevgeny Mravinsky - Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra 2-Deutsche Grammophon 419745. This was in reply to a suggestion from his close friend Grand Duke Konstantin that he write a requiem for their mutual friend the writer Aleksey Apukhtin, who had died in late August, just as Tchaikovsky was completing the Pathtique. [15] The opening contrasts with the darker B section in the tonic minor of the symphony, B minor. Tchaikovsky calls his slow movement "Land of gloom, land of mists", but this piece is in really a land of endless melody, of continual and seductive song, in which Tchaikovsky reveals that he can make a large-scale structure from a pure outpouring of the once-heard, never-forgotten tunes that he composed more brilliantly than any other symphonist of his time - or any other. 1995-2022 Classical NetUse of text, images, or any other copyrightable material contained in these pages, without the written permission of the copyright holder,except as specified in the Copyright Notice, is strictly prohibited. The Nice included Keith Emerson's arrangement of the third movement on their 1971 album Elegy. 4 in F Minor, Op. Tchaikovsky's symphony was first published in piano reduction by Jurgenson of Moscow in 1893, [6] and by Robert Forberg of Leipzig in 1894. 20, 1st Act No. Another personal account of Tchaikovsky's last visit to the Moscow Conservatory also makes no mention of the private performance of the symphony [27]. [26][27], Tchaikovsky specialist David Brown suggests that the symphony deals with the power of Fate in life and death. Additionally, Leonard Bernstein was an essential figure in . His mother, named Aleksandra Assier, was of Russian . Valery Gergiev/Kirov Orchestra: one of the most white-hot of Gergievs recordings - and therefore, one of the most white-hot recordings, ever! It begins with strings in a fast, exciting motif playing semiquavers against a woodwind 44 meter. Its the fulfilment and tranfiguration of a programme that Tchaikovsky had sketched for a Symphony in E Flat Major that he discarded in 1892 (whose first movement he reworked as his Third Piano Concerto). More details regarding struggle for tonal . Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. His death was officially attributed to cholera, but rumors and theories have persisted over the years, driven in part by the romantic notion of the sixth symphony as a musical farewell, as to whether the infection was accidental or suicidal. Among the sketches for the third movement, at the start of the E major section of the exposition, the composer wrote: "Leaving today 11 Febr[uary]. A scathing review by Csar Cui of the cantata he had written as a graduation piece from the St. Petersburg Conservatory shattered his morale. 68, 2nd movement (Brahms) * Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op. Tchaikovsky concludes with a slow movement that thrashes and seethes with stressful emotion before finally fading away into restless exhaustion. The second movement, a dance movement in ternary form, is in 54 time, in D major. Tchaikovsky's final work was his Symphony # 6 in b minor, dubbed by his brother Modeste, with the composer's approval, as the "Pathtique" (in the sense of "pathos," not "pathetic"!). 4.6 out of 5 stars 94 ratings. I believe it comes into being as the best of my works. It is true that Tchaikovsky died just over a week after conducting the Symphony\'s premiere on October 28, 1893, probably as a result of drinking cholera-infected water. It has also accompanied the cartoon The Ren & Stimpy Show, specifically the episode 'Son of Stimpy' where the eponymous cat walks out into a blizzard. For years, the wildest guesses abounded concerning the hidden program. - Electrical Engineering Graduate, sub-majored in Electric Power and Renewable Energy Engineering, with experience working in Endeavour Energy, Ausgrid, AEMO, and TransGrid (from data capture and analysis to inspections and on-site assistance), and technical knowledge and skills developed through different platforms, including DIgSILENT PowerFactory, Python, etc.<br><br>- Passionate about . In a letter to Aleksandr Ziloti of 23 July/4 August, he reported: "I'm scoring the symphony and, it's a funny thing, but I'm finding it terribly difficult, i.e. [17], Back in B minor, the fourth movement is a slow movement in a six-part sonata rondo form (A-B-A-C-A-B). 9 Recitative (Bizet) * Symphony No. 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. Free Composer Essay Topic Generator. The first movement adheres to traditional symphonic sonata form, but you'll barely notice as with Tchaikovsky's potent tone-poems, the interplay of sharp, angular commotion and lush, sensual longing attains a compelling but uneasy balance between the comfort of scalar passagework and the aching tension of figures based on the ambiguous interval of the fourth. It is known that during these days he was writing the quartet Night; at the end of the manuscript of the quartet is the date: "Klin, 3 March 1893" [O.S.]. The composer's autograph arrangement for piano duet has been lost, but a manuscript copy containing his annotations is preserved in the Russian State Archive for Literature and Art in Moscow (. The second movement is more like a dance third movement (in this case a Waltz) and . Second part love: third disappointments; fourth ends dying away (also short)."[29]. A calmer relative D-major segment (the B subject) builds into a full orchestral palette with brass and percussion, ending with a C major chord. Apart from the fact that the "hand over" is smoother when the timbres match, the passage . Another example of this is Beethoven's 7th Symphony. 4 and Eugene Onegin. The composer led the first performance in Saint Petersburg on 28 October [O.S. It opens quietly with a low bassoon melody in E minor. His father's ancestors were from Ukraine and Poland. To which the only possible rejoinder is: Im afraid thats nonsense. The drama surges at the mid-point, as Tchaikovsky throttles down the volume to an unprecedented notation of pppppp to prepare for a startling full outburst. At the end of the sketches for the first movement is the author's note: "Begun on Thursday 4th Febr[uary]. Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony: Interpreting Music With Empathy - Jetset Times Listening to the Fifth, there is a part of me that sits in awe, while another participates. This same theme is the music behind "Where", a 1959 hit for Tony Williams and the Platters as well as "In Time", by Steve Lawrence in 1961, and "John O'Dreams" by Bill Caddick. 1 in G minor, Op. Rather than the embarrassment of a divorce, the couple remained separated, Tchaikovsky acceding to his wife's demands for money whenever she threatened to publicize his ruinous secret. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bernard Haitink Haitink's approach is the opposite of the interpretative interventionist: but letting the music speak on its own terms just proves just how thrillingly symphonically satisfying this piece can be. Russia in the 1860s - the land without the symphony. The tempo picks up slightly, and a flute and bassoon begin 2b and are quickly joined by many other instruments (I don't have the score, so I can't readily name them). 74, "Pathtique" Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) THE STORY Tchaikovsky put his soul into his final symphonyand there it remains. Allegro con grazia(24:54) III. Andris Nelsons/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra: the pick of recent recordings, with Nelsonss in-the-moment brilliance and the CBSOs collective virtuosity. 6. "I can honestly say that never in my life have I been so pleased with myself, so proud, or felt so fortunate to have created something as good as this"[23]. He was the second of six children (five brothers and one sister). When the symphony was done again a couple of weeks later, in memoriam and with subtitle in place, everyone listened hard for portents, and that is how the symphony became a transparent suicide note. [25] Countering this is Tchaikovsky's statement on 26 September/8 October 1893 that he was in no mood to write any sort of requiem. [13][14] This substitution is because it is nearly impossible in practice for a bassoonist to execute the passage at the indicated dynamic of pppppp.[12][13]. It's not that it displeased, but it has caused some bewilderment. Nowhere is this schism more apparent than with Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose music was reviled by critics but adored by the public. In the Sixth, Tchaikovsky meets that inexorable descent head-on, and in so doing he creates a new shape for the symphony, in one of the most audacious and boldest compositional moves of the 19. Violas appear with the first theme of the Allegro in B minor, a faster variant of the slow opening melody. Must be short (the finale death result of collapse). The Symphony is scored for an orchestra comprising 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in A), 2 bassoons + 4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in A, B-flat), 3 trombones, tuba + 3 timpani, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam (ad lib.) The first performance in Moscow was on 16 December [O.S. Had Tchaikovsky followed the standard four-movement structure, the movements would have been ordered like this: Tchaikovsky critic Richard Taruskin writes: Suicide theories were much stimulated by the Sixth Symphony, which was first performed under the composer's baton only nine days before his demise, with its lugubrious finale (ending morendo, 'dying away'), its brief but conspicuous allusion to the Orthodox requiem liturgy in the first movement and above all its easily misread subtitle. Mravinsky's tightly-controlled emotion provides a fulcrum for other interpretations. As with his doomed marriage, he fled, this time to New York, where he was feted in a series of concerts to dedicate Carnegie Hall. There was not the mighty, overpowering impression made by the work when it was conducted by Eduard Npravnk, on November 18, 1893, and later, wherever it was played."[11]. [The detailed grades for each movement are: 1 = 3.5 (5 to the main theme but 2 to the sub-theme); 2 = 2; 3 = 4 (a little more rubato in a few certain places might have allowed it to get 5); 4 = 4 . the march in G major on the theme: in a solemnly triumphant manner. 6); Programm-Symphonie (No. Leonard Bernstein is the first American-born conductor to lead a major American symphony orchestra 2. That year, two things occurred that had a decisive influence on the direction his path would take. But all the same, the work is progressing" [13]. This symphony stands out for having a recurring "motto" theme that cycles through all four movements of the symphony, and it is also often known for its strong emotive quality. You can, coproduction with Jurgenson of Moscow most likely; also, see. The full score and piano duet arrangements of the Symphony were published in volumes 17 (1963) and volume 48 (1964) respectively of Tchaikovsky's Complete Collected Works. Twenty years ago I used to go full steam ahead, without thinking, and it came out well. 44, 2nd movement (Tchaikovsky . For some reason it's not coming out as I intended. The composer wrote about it for the first time in a letter to his younger brother Modest and later to Nadezhda von Meck, the patron who had supported him for more than 10 years already: ". An orchestra rehearses different sections of the symphony in the short film, as a woman is filmed walking through Sarajevo. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a prolific Russian composer of symphonies, operas, ballets, and a variety of other music. It seems reasonable to suppose that when the author referred to the "scherzo" he meant the second movement, since Tchaikovsky had worked on the third movement for around 10 days in February and March. Also widely admired for their detached styles are classic stereo accounts by Pierre Monteux and the Boston Symphony (BMG 61901), Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony (RCA LP), Igor Markevitch and the London Symphony (Philips 38335) and Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony (RCA 61246). On 11/23 February 1893, Tchaikovsky wrote to Vladimir Davydov: "You know I destroyed a symphony I had been composing and only partly orchestrated in the autumn [2] During my journey I had the idea for another symphony, this time with a programme, but such a programme that will remain an enigma to everyonelet them guess; the symphony shall be entitled: A Programme Symphony (No. At the time, many contemporary Russian composers thought he represented the West's influence on Russian culture. Analysis - The overall trajectory of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony reminds the listener of Beethoven's 5th. 60) [view]. The premiere of the symphony took place the following February to mixed reviews. That silence was its own kind of victory for Tchaikovsky. Was he depressed? , 2, 25 1893 . It's hard to imagine the unresolved angst of Mahler's Sixth and Ninth, nor, indeed, the emotional void of 12-tone or aleatory music, without Tchaikovsky's bold precedent. The first of them was made on the day the full score was finished: "I urge you to ensure when writing out the parts that all the markings in the parts correspond exactly to the full score. It is difficult to establish how much work Tchaikovsky did after his return from Moscow, between 28 February/12 March and 3/15 March. It is as sincere as if it were written with his blood." People at that performance "listened hard for portents. Symphony No. It has become tradition in this Symphony for the 2nd clarinet to double on bass clarinet and play 4 notes for the bassoon, at a point where the bassoon takes over a descending line from the clarinet. In my last article on Tchaikovsky, I explored his Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony: Interpreting Music With Empathy Search for: DESTINATIONS AFRICA EGYPT ALEXANDRIA CAIRO EL GOUNA LUXOR Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Claudio Abbado: Abbado strikes a typical balance between lyrical sumptuousness and structural power. A graceful coda leads to a quiet ending. It was also used to great effect in one of the early Cinerama movies in the mid-50s. Evgeny Mravinsky/Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev/Russian National Orchestra, Andris Nelsons/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. "My work is going very well, but I can't write as quickly as before; but not because I'm becoming feeble through old age, rather because I'm being much stricter with myself, and don't have my former self-confidence. Without the storm, the remaining movements broadly follow the traditional pattern, including Andante and Scherzo middle movements. It leads to the E major secondary theme in the exposition beginning with clarinet solo with string accompaniment. He also reported to Aleksandr Ziloti, Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, Anatoly Tchaikovsky, Vladimir Davydov, Sergey Taneyev [11] and Praskovya Tchaikovskaya that the orchestration had been begun [12]. A solemn brass chorale with pizzicato string accompaniment draws the movement to a close. Tchaikovsky made an attempt at suicide in September. But in any case, I think you will like the symphony" [14]. Tchaikovsky died nine days after the premiere he drank a glass of unboiled water at the height of an epidemic of cholera, to which he succumbed in great agony. The first attempt to resolve the accumulation of . 7") is E major. Bypassing what his elders were up to, the prodigiously gifted 20-something Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, just appointed to a job at the Moscow Conservatory, saw a chance to compose his First Symphony and provide what Russian musical culture desperately needed. Its also the closest we have to a revelation of the programme behind the Sixth Symphony, which Tchaikovsky told his beloved nephew Bob was there in the music, but which would remain a secret. Kalinnikov: Symphony No. The earliest record I've found of the work is a 1923 double-sided acoustical 78 of heavily edited second and fourth movements by Willem Mengelberg and the New York Philharmonic (Victor 6374); deeply subjective, and despite the abridgement, it manages an even more ominous, brooding conclusion than Mengelberg's full-length 1937 and 1941 Concertgebouw remakes. Both were fraught with problems. Photograph: Bettmann/CORBIS, Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Claudio Abbado, Russia National Orchestra/Mikhail Pletnev, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bernard Haitink. The composer\'s final work has been cast as a kind of despairing musical suicide note. It is the piece that he described many times in letters as the best thing I ever composed or shall compose, a work whose existence proved to him that he had found a way out of a symphonic impasse, which represented a return to the heights of his achievement as a composer away from what he thought of as the numbing, written-by-numbers populism of his ballet The Nutcracker or the trivial pancakes of the piano pieces he was also writing in 1893 and brought a deep, personal satisfaction that he hadnt felt in years. 6 in B minor, Op. 880, No. composer. The Symphony No. Ask Mr Kleinecke to attend to this". 64 Throughout his creative career, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's inspiration went through extreme cycles, tied to his frequent bouts of deep depression and self-doubt. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. Tchaikovsky's Sixth plays a major role in E. M. Forster's novel Maurice (written in 1913 and later, but unpublished until 1971), where it serves as a veiled reference to homosexuality.[30]. In the words of composer Arnold Schoenberg, the finale "starts with a cry and ends with a moan." The energetic development section begins abruptly, with an outburst from the orchestra in C minor, but soon transitions to D minor. The "statistical density" (to borrow a Frank Zappa phrase) quickly increases, and yet it all sounds so inevitable. Tchaikovsky conducted, and after the performance he told Pyotr Jurgenson: "Something strange is happening with this symphony! On returning, the first thing to compose is the ending, i.e. Tchaikovsky considered calling it (Programmnaya or "Program Symphony") but realized that would encourage curiosity about the program, which he did not want to reveal. Born on March 1, 1810 in Poland. And thats because of how Tchaikovsky makes the musical and symphonic drama of the piece work. The five movements are driven partly by the loose pastoral narrative described by the movement titles. [7] Background [ edit] After completing his 5th Symphony in 1888, Tchaikovsky did not start thinking about his next symphony until April 1891, on his way to the United States. (Haydn had concluded his 1772 Symphony # 45 ("Farewell") with a slow movement, but it was a mere gimmick appended to a standard form to symbolize his orchestra's discontent with their working conditions. Rather, they poured their souls into copious correspondence up to 300 letters per year which provide us with a detailed map of Tchaikovsky's feelings. Example 1: Introduction of Triplet Motif in the Clarinets, Bassoon, and French Horns (Tchaikovsky 202) This triplet motif continues through varying instruments throughout the entire relative major . [10] However, the composer began to feel apprehension over his symphony, when, at rehearsals, the orchestra players did not exhibit any great admiration for the new work. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. I must finish it as soon as possible, for I have to wind up a lot of affairs and I must soon go to London. Directions. This is followed by a more agitated restatement of the opening A theme (the start of the recapitulation), on an F bass pedal. The following day he wrote to Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov: "I cannot believe how much I have done since the winter albeit in fits and starts while I was at home. Adagio - Allegro non troppo (b) - Andante (D - B) 2. . This leads to a coda in which fragments of the march are heard to a powerful conclusion. It contains references to the Piano Concerto No. 6 is forever associated with the tragedy of his sudden death. His conservative, formalist teachers, including Rubinstein, refused to endorse or perform what they saw of the symphony when it was a work-in-progress, and the progessives weren't well-disposed to Tchaikovsky's ambitions either: Cui had written a devastatingly negative review of Tchaikovky's graduation piece. The work premiered in Moscow on February 10, 1878, according to the Old Style (Julian) calendar, which was used in Russia at the time; according to the contemporary, or New Style (Gregorian), calendar . Indeed, he lived in perpetual dread of disclosure and relied upon the discretion of a huge number of people, including myriad male students to whom he had been attracted. Either could have derailed him entirely. Tchaikovsky's manuscript full score is now preserved in the Russian National Museum of Music in Moscow (. [1][2] It included some minor corrections that Tchaikovsky had made after the premiere, and was thus the first performance of the work in the exact form in which it is known today. Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6 "Pathetique" Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra . According to the memoirs of Konstantin Saradzhev [25], the symphony was first played through on 8/20 or 9/21 October by an orchestra of students from the Moscow Conservatory, from the classes of professors Jan Hmal, Alfred von Glenn, Nikolay Sokolovsky and others, conducted by Vasily Safonov. 6 'Pathetique' Instrumentation Strings, 2 flutes (plus piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, timpani Movements 1. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Discovering Music Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony", "Symphony Guide: Tchaikovsky's Sixth ('Pathetique')", International Music Score Library Project, Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem, International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Symphony_No._6_(Tchaikovsky)&oldid=1118755449, Compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky published posthumously, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from October 2021, All articles needing additional references, Articles with incomplete citations from January 2022, Articles with International Music Score Library Project links, Articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 October 2022, at 17:52. 19 August 1893" [O.S.]. The New Complete Edition of Tchaikovsky's works includes a facsimile of Tchaikovsky's sketches in volume 39a (1999), edited by Polina Vaidman; the full score in volume 39b (1993), and critical report in volume 39c (2003), both edited by Thomas Kohlhase with the assistance of Polina Vaidman. 104, 3rd Movement (Dvorak) * Symphony No. His enthralling 1995 recording with his Kirov Orchestra (Philips 456 580) is richly played and recorded, full of subtle coloration and a magnificent realization of the work's inner tensions without ostentation. PT1: vl 1. 64, was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1888. All Rights Reserved. Work proved sluggish. [10] Nevertheless, the premiere was met with great appreciation. All through this movement, Tchaikovsky has been throwing in hair- raising dissonances (partly the result of the fourths, partly out . In the last year of his life, 1893, the composer began work on a new symphony. In the words of composer Arnold Schoenberg, the finale "starts with a cry and ends with a moan." Of all the . The first movement is one of Sibelius's most highly organic compositions, and the work as a whole contains some striking foreshadowings of points in the Seventh Symphony : effects of rather cold diatonic polyphony for strings only; the simultaneous sounding of opposing harmonies in contrasted instrumental groups (e.g. It seems to me that this is the best work I have ever produced. [28] That program reads, "The ultimate essence of the symphony is Life. More intense but slightly less consistent is the striking 1991 conducting debut of pianist Mikhail Pletnev; if you detect a trace of abandon in their playing, it may be because his Russian National Orchestra is that country's first to be free of state support (Virgin 61636). After a pause, the mournful motif, back in B minor, leads into the restatement of the A theme. This short sublime movement, with a unique structure impressing one as formless in the traditional sense, does not overwhelm the symphony, but instead offers a brief moment of terror that brings into further relief the calm, peace and finally joy of the journey. Nine days later, Tchaikovsky died. 6 in B Minor, Op. It's ironic that the love life of the composer best known for his ardently romantic music was such a thorough mess. Then I must make the piano duet arrangement", he told Sergey Taneyev on 1/13 August [16]. The second is a "limping waltz," boasting the near-miracle of a melody so smooth you're hardly aware it's in 5/4 time and missing a beat. This eventually leads to the lyrical secondary theme in D major. This explosion concludes in a powerful note in the trombones marked quadruple forte, a rare dynamic mark intending the instrument to be played as loud as possible. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. Tchaikovsky's first symphony remodelled the form into a truly Russian style, staking out territory that his five other symphonies continued to explore, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, The prodigiously gifted 20-something Tchaikovsky as a student at the conservatory in St Petersbury. Tchaikovsky "Nutcracker" Suite is . He reported the same thing to Pyotr Jurgenson [21]. Through a very neat modulation, we reach the key of B minor and a quicker tempo with the main theme proper, consisting of three parts: 1a. The programme itself will be suffused with subjectivity, and not infrequently during my travels, while composing it in my head, I wept a great deal. The movement concludes shortly after the recapitulation of the second subject shown above, this time in the tonic major (B major) with a coda which is also in B major, finally ending very quietly. Call us at 909.587.5565. Of his two studio recordings, a 1947 NBC Symphony venture (BMG 60295) sounds brittle, rigid and heartless, further brutalized by a dreadful transfer from damaged 78s (not evident in an earlier Victrola LP transfer). 74, also known as 'Pathtique', is one of the very great symphonies in the history of music. On 19/31 March, back at Klin, Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest: "I arrived home from Kharkov last night Over the coming days I'll be busy finishing off the sketches of the finale and scherzo of the new symphony" [6]. A romantic myth has grown up around Tchaikovsky\'s Sixth Symphony. As I've implied, 2b is essentially a rising scale, and Tchaikovsky sets off against it other upward scales on different pitches at different speeds. He knew he was dying! This is also borne out by notes in the copy-book containing the sketches. Interesting Topics to Write about Composer. There is also evidence that Tchaikovsky was unlikely to have been depressed while composing the symphony, with his brother noting of him after he had sent the manuscript for publishing, "I had not seen him so bright for a long time past. (00:00) I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo(17:32) II. 6 in B minor, Op. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. But then were confronted with the devastating lament of the real finale, that Adagio lamentoso, which begins with a composite melody that is shattered among the whole string section (no single instrumental group plays the tune you actually hear, an amazing, pre-modernist idea), and which ends with those low, tolling heartbeats in the double-basses that at last expire into silence. 4 December], conducted by Vasily Safonov. The sound remains remarkably fine. [9], The symphony was written in a small house in Klin and completed by August 1893. The first movement, in sonata form, frequently alternates speed, mood, and key, with the main key being B minor. From Klin on 19/31 July, Tchaikovsky wrote to Anna Merkling: "I have been idle for far too long and now I am thirsty for work. No. Tchaikovsky left Klin on 19 October for the first performance in Saint Petersburg, arriving "in excellent spirits". (So was Modeste, in whose otherwise thorough 3-volume biography not a hint of sexuality was mentioned.) But frankly, theres no need for the divulging of anything more programmatically specific. 3 and the vocal quartet Night, performed by Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya's student class, but there is not a word about the Sixth Symphony. It is pure, tragic coincidence that Tchaikovsky should die of cholera a few days after conducting the Sixth Symphony at the age of just 53 a piece, to reiterate, that he actually composed in good mental and physical health but thats all it is.