PersonalGroup
Start free

Tchaikovsky · Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor

The composer called it a 'failure,' but everyone loved it

Key
E minor
Composed
1888
Premiere
1888 St. Petersburg
Duration
about 47 min
Movements
4 movements
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 3·2·2·2 (3rd flute doubling piccolo) · Brass 4·2·3·1 · Timpani · Strings

The story behind this piece

In the spring of 1888, Tchaikovsky left a note in his sketchbook: 'Complete resignation before Fate… the inscrutable design of Providence.' He finished Symphony No. 5 that summer. He didn't attach an outright storyline as the note might suggest, but the 'Fate' theme from the opening returns in all four movements and ties the whole piece together.

Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere himself in St. Petersburg in November 1888, but the composer himself wasn't confident. After playing it a few times, he wrote in letters that he had 'come to the conclusion that it is a failure' and that 'there is something repellent in it.' The audience felt otherwise, though, and it has remained one of his most beloved symphonies ever since.

What to listen for

  • Opening of movement 1: Remember the 'Fate' theme, sung darkly by the low woodwinds. It returns in a different guise in each movement.
  • Movement 2: The famous melody sung by the solo horn. It's a dream solo for horn players.
  • Movement 3 waltz → Movement 4: After the graceful waltz, in the finale the 'Fate' theme, once in a minor key, turns into a stately march in a major key and ends there.

Listen · Score

Credits