Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique)

Tchaikovsky's final symphony has fascinated generations of music lovers since its first performance just over a century ago. Professor 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 as well as its political interpretation in the twentieth century, especially its transformation into a cultural icon of the Third Reich.

• The most popular symphony of one of the most popular composers
• Explores Tchaikovsky's homosexuality in relation to the Sixth Symphony
• Discusses the Sixth Symphony's reception as cultural icon during the Third Reich