The symphony #5 opens with the motto theme (a theme that recurs) quietly played by the clarinet. The Allegro also begins with a gently moving theme doubled by the bassoon.
The development section travels through many harmonic regions, but presents very little actual development, because Tchaikovsky’s themes are full melodies, not easily dissected.
The Andante presents one of Tchaikovsky’s most beloved themes, a horn melody so poignant and seductive that it tempts many listeners to overlook the eloquent strands the clarinet and oboe weave around it. The opening bars of quiet sustained chords begin in B minor and then swing around to D major, before the hushed entry of the horn. The lyrical flow is halted by the motto theme, first announced by the full orchestra over a fierce timpani roll midway through, and once again just before the end.
The third movement is a minor-key waltz; a livelier trio, with playful runs in the strings, also sounds uneasy, suggesting something sinister on the horizon. Perhaps it’s the fateful motto theme, which sounds quietly in the low winds just before the dance is over.
The finale opens with the motto theme again, fully harmonized and in the major mode. The tempo never eases, not even in the one moment of repose that is marked pianissimo and lightly scored. The motto theme sweeps through, once at a brisk speed, and then, near the end, leading a magnificent march. It’s the main melody of the first movement, however, that comes rushing in to close the symphony.
Tchaikovsky conducted the first performance of the symphony in Saint Petersburg in November 1888 and introduced the work in Europe on a concert tour in early 1889. In Hamburg he met Brahms, who postponed his departure in order to hear his Russian colleague’s latest symphony.
Listen now to one of my favorite works by Tchaikovski, his Symphony #5:
