Göteborgs Konserthus Feel the Passion in Pathétique

Sink into the concert hall’s red armchairs and let yourself be seduced by Tchaikovsky’s 6th and final symphony, Pathétique. He put his whole soul into this work and completed it only nine days before his death. In addition, we hear Earth’s Shadow by Kaija Saariaho where the mighty concert hall organ plays a central role. 

Over time, Pyotr Tchaikovsky became one of the greatest composers of Romanticism, a master of melodies, and his works are often bursting with great emotion. The Russian subtitle of the symphony, ‘patetichesky’, means passionate. He himself considered the symphony to be his best composition and dedicated it to his nephew. The symphony begins ominously while the second movement’s five bars invite you to dance, the third bursts with joy and the last is heartbreakingly sad. 

The music from Pathétique has been used in several films, such as Scorsese’s star-studded The Aviator. Did you know that livelier parts of the symphony have also been used for morning gymnastics on Swedish Radio? 

Before the break, we hear the acclaimed Earth’s Shadow by the Finnish composer queen Kaija Saariaho, a work where organ and orchestra strive to live side by side. As Saariaho put it: “a kind of fruitful and inspiring company, where two strong but civilized personalities can coexist without having to fight too much for the place in the sun”. 

The evening’s concert is part of Gothenburg’s Organ Festival and the soloist is Olivier Latry, one of the world’s foremost organists. He was also the soloist at the premiere of Earth’s Shadow in Montréal in 2014. Olivier Latry opens the evening with an organ work in the form of a boléro, composed by the French Pierre Cochereau. Like Latry, he was once organist at Notre-Dame in Paris. 

Listen

Get to know the classical pieces.

Introduction to the concert

Take a seat in the Great Hall one hour before the concert begins and learn more about the music you will soon experience! You will get the stories behind the music, knowledge of the composers and own reflections about the classical pieces. The introduction last for about 30 minutes, it is free and free seating in the hall. Warm welcome!