• Director(s):

    PASTERNAK (IOSSIF)

  • Producer(s):

    ARTE FRANCE, 13 PRODUCTIONS

  • Territories:

    Worldwide.

  • Production year:

    2007

  • Language(s):

    German, English, French

  • Rights:

    NON-THEATRICAL, TV, VOD, DVD, INTERNET

This documentary explores a major work in the classical repertoire, Tchaikovky's Pathétique Symphony, by placing it in the life and work of its composer, and retracing the history of its performances.

Born in 1840, Piotr Tchaïkovsky wrote what was to be his last symphony, Symphony n° 6 in B minor called the "Pathétique", in 1893. The composer conducted the first performance of the work himself in Saint Petersburg in October 1893, to public indifference. It is today however, one of the most performed and recorded symphonies in the world.
The Pathétique has all the qualities of a legendary work, if only because Tchaikovksy died a few days after writing it - officially of cholera. For a long time, the circumstances surrounding its composition were shrouded in mystery. It is now thought that the composer was inspired to write it by his sorrowful passion for his nephew Vladimir, to whom it is dedicated.
This film retraces the singular history of the Pathétique and also offers a musical analysis of the work.