By Douglas Levy

For the English speaker, the French word “pathétique” means pathetic, i.e.: miserable or inadequate. But in the musical world, pathétique, used as the subtitle to Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in c minor, meant sad, stirring, heartbreaking, sentimental or intense.

Tchaikovsky had these same feelings in mind when he dubbed his sixth symphony pathétique. The last of his completed symphonies, it premiered on October 28, 1893. Although the audience’s reception was tepid, Tchaikovsky was unusually satisfied with the work.

Nine days later, on Nov. 6, the composer was dead at the age of 53. He died of cholera, apparently from drinking untreated water – at least, that is the official reason.

Music Director JoAnn Falletta and the BPO will mine and bring to your ears all these emotions this Friday, Feb. 21, at 10:30 a.m. and Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in their Tchaikovsky Festival, part two, concerts at Kleinhans Music Hall. Also on the program are the suite from his ballet The Sleeping Beauty, and Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra, with Marcin Zdunik as soloist. For tickets call (716) 885-5000.

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Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (Pathetique)

Variations on a Rococo Theme

Sleeping Beauty

Thursday (Feb. 20, 2025), 5:30 p.m., Marcin Zdunik at the BPO Clement House: Marcin Zdunik

Zdunik will also present a solo recital on Thursday, Feb. 20, at the BPO Clement House, featuring a program of solo cello works, including music by Polish composers and improvisations inspired by their masterpieces. Space is extremely limited. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish with a $10 minimum.

The program, which is subject to change, will feature compositions and improvisations based on works by Zdunik, Pawel Szymanski, Witold Lutoslawski, Henryk Wieniawski, Karol Szymanski and Frederic Chopin.

The event is sponsored by the Polish Cultural Institute New York and the National Institute of Music and Dance / Narodowy Instytut Muzyki I Tańca.

Tickets, if still available when you see this, are available HERE.

Tonight (Feb. 18, 2025), 7:30 p.m., the Balourdet Quartet, Mary Seaton Room, Kleinhans Music Hall,

The Buffalo Chamber Music Society will present the Balourdet Quartet for its fifth concert of the 2024-25 season. The quartet recently made its debuts in Carnegie Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall and has been performing quartets by modern composers Karim Al-Zand, Paul Novak, and Nicky Sohn. For their performance in the Mary Seaton Room, however, they’ll be taking on the music of Mozart (Quartet in D major, Op.64, No.5), Bartók (String Quartet No.5) and Smetana (Quartet No.1 in E minor).

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Bartók – String Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91