St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Peter Donohoe

Programme:
Prokofiev - Symphony No 1 (Classical)
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No 2
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No 6 (Pathétique)

Prokofiev's Symphony No 1 is in a familiar four-movement form, the two fast outer movements bracketing a slow movement and one inspired by a stylized dance. The scoring of Symphony No 1 is appropriate to an orchestra of the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century; it is of a decidely lighthearted, even humorous character, much in the spirit of the symphonies of Haydn, unusual for a leader of the twentieth-century Russian avant-garde.

Tchaikovsky's second piano concerto is undeniably attractive and elaborate, full of exhuberant piano writing and exhilirating orchestral responses. It was premiered in New York City by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra with Madeline Schiller on piano.

Symphony No 6 is Tchaikovsky's final completed symphony, premiering in Russia only nine days before the composer's death. The work has been a topic of great discussion, as Rimsky-Korsakov had asked Tchaikovsky if there was a program to the work. Tchaikovksy had replied saying it had one but wouldn't divulge it.

The grand four movement work was composed in a small house in Klin, Russia, yet it is one of the grandest symphonic works from Tchaikovsky. In recent popular culture, it was played at the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, alongside Russia's national ballet company.