Tchaikovsky's composed what would be his final completed symphony between February and the end of August 1893. The composer would ultimately title it "The Passionate Symphony", employing a Russian word, "Pateticheskaya," meaning "passionate" or "emotional", which was then translated into French as pathétique, meaning "solemn" or "emotive". In other accounts, his brother Modest claims to have supplied the title just days before the works premiere which was itself just 9 days before Tchaikovsky's death— making it was the last of Tchaikovsky's compositions premiered in his lifetime. We will hear the great "Pathétique" Symphony Tuesday afternoon on Classical Music with Foley Schuler, as well as musical tributes to the composer made by Anton Arensky, Sergei Rachmaninov and Igor Stravinsky.
You can hear Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday afternoon from 1 until 5 on Blue Lake Public Radio.
