A Concert in the Public Hall
The BBC Symphony Orchestra
Leader, Paul Beard
Conductor, Sir Adrian Boult
Solo violin, Paul Beard
"God Save the King"
Tchaikovsky's Sixth, and last. Symphony was conceived in the winter of 1802-3. 'I have got hold', he wrote, 'of the idea for a new symphony. This time a programme-symphony, but with a programme that shall remain an enigma for everyone - let them puzzle their heads over it. The symphony will be called simply "Programme Symphony" (No. 6). This programme is subjective through and through, and, while composing it in my mind, I often wept bitterly.'
However the enigma was solved a year or two ago, when a paper outlining the plan of the symphony was found in Tchaikovsky's old home. Briefly, the outline is: Active life - love - disappointment - death. By a striking coincidence the symphony was first performed on October 28, 1893, only nine days before the composer's death.