‘National Orchestra of Belgium’

The key work during the further concerts as part of the four-day Tchaikovsky Festival is undoubtedly the Sixth Symphony, better known as the ‘Pathétique’ - although it is not at all sure that Tchaikovsky gave his approval to this subtitle. To this day it remains one of the composer’s best loved and most performed works. The paradoxical combination of the dark and melancholic atmosphere and ballet-like rhythms is no doubt part of the explanation, together with the daring finale in the form of a protracted adagio with the allure of a funeral march. Also on the programme is the symphonic ballad Voyevoda and the extremely difficult Violin Concerto. The latter continues to appeal to the imagination with its extravert folk melodies and an extended and extremely rapid coda.