Anvil Arts

Harold in Italy was commissioned on generous terms from an astonished composer by the enigmatic Paganini, who wished for a piece to show off his viola playing. It follows the fortunes of a Byronic hero as he encounters pilgrims and bandits in the Italian countryside. Paganini never played it, as he felt there were not sufficient opportunities for display, but generously insisted that Berlioz keep the fee.

Whatever the circumstances surrounding the composition of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony, it retains a shattering emotional charge, from its turbulent opening movement to the despairing conclusion.

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