I. Andante – Allegro con anima

II. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza

III. Valse. Allegro moderato

IV. Finale. Andante maestoso – Allegro vivace

Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) composed his Symphony No. 5 in 1888, during his final creative period. For Tchaikovsky, this period brought together the act of summarising with the idea and the need to recapitulate.

The rhythmic pattern of the opening theme to this ‘symphony of fate’ is – in Tchaikovsky’s words – “a complete resignation before fate, which is the same as the inscrutable predestination of fate”. The theme (played here on the clarinet) returns as a motto in each of the movements. While all the individual movements feature their own musical ideas, the ‘theme of fate’ is used to reinforce the epic character of the composition.

The liveliness, thematic diversity and rich character of the first movement, which is in sonata form, does more than carry the narrative of the ‘total acceptance’ of one’s fate. The beautiful theme of this slow-tempo movement is brought to a close by the horn, while, at the dramatic climax of the movement marked by a change of pace and a triple forte dynamic, the ‘Fate theme’ appears in the brass section amid the rattle of kettle drums.

In the build-up to the finale, the elegant waltz of the third movement almost imperceptibly glides from a joyous atmosphere to an uncertain, intangible foreboding: the ‘theme of fate’ appears in an augmented form as a dark shadow hanging over the end of the movement. The Andante opening to the Finale recalls the beginning of the opening movement (starting there in the major key, here in the minor one), while the main Allegro vivace section is aligned with the basic triumphant sound of the symphony as a whole. The popular Russian dance episode is akin to a similar dramatic moment from in Symphony No. 4, expressing an affirmation of life and the strength of togetherness. As Tchaikovsky said: “Rejoice in others’ rejoicing. To live is still possible!”