Tchaikovsky Symphony Cycle and "The Queen of Spades"

Enter the musical and inner world of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky this season as the BSO surveys his six numbered symphonies, music at the core of the BSO’s repertoire but rarely heard in a cycle. The hallmarks of these works will be on full display: the grand orchestration, Russian folk spirit, and even greater mastery and depth of feeling that pour out of the final three symphonies. The survey culminates in performances of the composer’s dramatic and lyrical opera The Queen of Spades (Pique Dame), continuing the BSO and Andris Nelsons’ presentations of great opera in concert. These performances are complemented by a series of talks illuminating the composer’s life and legacy through contemporary lenses. Together, music and dialogue invite audiences to encounter Tchaikovsky not as a distant Romantic icon, but as an artist whose struggles with visibility, belonging, and emotional honesty continue to resonate powerfully today.