Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & The Storm

Featuring

Antoni Wit
Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia NOSPR
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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Performer Biography

Antoni Wit, the conductor on this album, studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and was a prize-winner in the Herbert von Karajan Competition in 1971.

Compositional Technique

A "Providence" or "Fate" theme introduces Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony and reappears in various forms throughout all four movements.

Composer Biography

Tchaikovsky, the composer, initially worked in the Ministry of Justice after studying at the School of Jurisprudence in St. Petersburg.

Performer Biography

The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Katowice (PNRSO) was founded in 1945 by Witold Rowicki, replacing an earlier orchestra from Warsaw.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Tchaikovsky's notes for his Fifth Symphony suggest personal extramusical ideas, including themes of "complete resignation before Fate" and questioning faith.

Composition History

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 was written in 1888 and first performed in St. Petersburg on November 17, 1888, under the composer's direction.

Composer Biography

Tchaikovsky's career as a full-time composer was made possible by financial assistance from Nadezhda von Meck, a rich widow who never met him face-to-face.