Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6

Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, the ‘Pathétique’, was the last work the composer completed, and its tragic tone has often been interpreted as a personal premonition of his fate.

There are still light moments, such as the lop-sided waltz of the second movement, but the finale fragments and eventually slips into silence. This recording is conducted by the Philharmonia’s former Principal Guest Conductor Sir Charles Mackerras.

SIGCD253 | May 2011 release