Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64
Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Editor: Christoph Flamm Instrumentation: Orchestra Work: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, ČW 26, Op. 64 Binding: ISMN: 9790004213681 Size: 9.8 x 12.6 inches Pages: 212 Urtext / Critical Edition Look Inside! PDF Preview Description Like Hamlet Overture, originating at about the same time, Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony, composed in 1888, focuses on the human existential question: To be or not to be – triumph over fate or triumph of fate? The per aspera ad astra dramaturgy underlying the symphony culminates in triumphant certainty. If Tchaikovsky was initially euphoric, then severe self-doubts befell him after he conducted the premiere in St. Petersburg. These doubts demonstrably led him to make interpretative changes for the Hamburg performance in 1889, including a cut in the finale. Only with the extremely positive response to this performance did his doubts dispel. Nevertheless, Tchaikovsky himself never again conducted