Op 64 tchaikovsky biography

The Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Hall of Nobility on November 6 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting.

Structure

A typical performance of the Symphony lasts about 46 minutes.

The Symphony is in four movements:

1. Andante — Allegro con anima (E minor)
2. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza — Moderato con anima — Andante mosso — Allegro non troppo (D major)
3. Valse: Allegromoderato (A major)
4. Andante maestoso — Allegro vivace — Molto vivace — Moderato assai e molto maestoso — Presto (E major → E minor → E major)

Like the Symphony No.

4, the Fifth is a cyclical symphony, with a recurring main theme. Unlike the Fourth, however, the theme is heard in all four movements, a feature Tchaikovsky had first used in the Manfred Symphony, which was completed less than two years before the F