Soul life

In his 6th Symphony, Tchaikovsky breaks with tradition: no triumphant final movement relieves the oppression of the preceding outbursts and distorted waltzes. The beautiful facade crumbles, mercilessly revealing the discouraging reality that repeatedly assails Tchaikovsky's inner world. Bernstein, on the other hand, makes his theme clear right from the title. In the face of two world wars, the Cold War, and the nuclear threat, the literary source...