Kodály & Tjajkovskij

Tchaikovsky’s six symphonies are often divided into two groups, the first three being considered less successful compared to the final three masterpieces. If, however, we ignore this offhand and unjust comparison and combine one of his earlier symphonies with one of his most celebrated, then exciting common denominators and musical parallels are revealed.

After Symphony No. 4, Tchaikovsky wrote the unnumbered Manfred Symphony, based on four scenes from Byron’s dramatic poem. After a long period of searching, in the summer of 1888 he finally found the inspiration for Symphony No. 5, which he proceeded to compose in only a few months.

In the introduction, sombre clarinets establish a motto theme that is repeated in all four movements, forming the foundation for all of the symphony’s themes. The movement ends with a peculiar effect – as if a gramophone were winding down. The main theme of the slow second movement, introduced by the horns, is highly reminiscent of John Denver’s “Annie’s Song”. “When I conduct the andante in the second movement of the Fifth Symphony, I perceive an immense loneliness and optimism for a love that might have been,” says Robert Trevino, principal conductor of the Malmo Symphony Orchestra. At the end of the movement, the motto theme explodes into life like a horror film soundtrack, carried by the trombones and bassoons. After the melancholy waltz of the third movement comes the finale, beginning with the motto theme which then closes the circle as it recurs in the soaring climax in quadruple forte.