Tchaikovsky's final symphony has fascinated generations of music lovers, amateur and specialist alike, since its first performance just over a century ago. Timothy L. Jackson explores sensitively and without prejudice the question of the Pathétique's program and its relation to Tchaikovsky's homosexuality and death. The book covers the work's conception, genesis, and reception, and presents an in-depth analysis of its remarkable formal structure. The reception chapter investigates the Pathétique's impact on Tchaikovsky's younger contemporaries, most notably Mahler and Rachmaninov, and on more recent Russian composers like Shostakovich and Schnittke. Also explored is the dark side of the symphony's political interpretation in the twentieth century, especially its transformation into a cultural icon of the Third Reich.

The composer's final symphony is a masterwork of lush orchestration and deep melancholy. This miniature score, an unabridged reproduction from an authoritative source, is a handy and inexpensive volume.

Expertly arranged Piano Duet by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky from the Kalmus Edition series. This is from the Complete Works, Russian Edition, and is a full-size score. This Symphony is from the Romantic era.

From the Complete Works, Russian Edition, reprinted as a full-size score.