Sixth Symphony

Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, subtitled the "Pathétique Symphony," is his final composition. The title, meaning "passionate" or "emotional," was a mistranslation that became widely known. Premiering in 1893, just nine days before the composer's death, the symphony's somber tone has long been debated as a reflection of Tchaikovsky's emotional state. The work features a melancholic opening, a graceful second movement, a lively third, and a finale that fades into silence, a departure from typical symphonic structure. Tchaikovsky considered it his finest work.12