Composers Datebook for October 28, 2011
         Prompt to hear today's music is just under the date header.                        SPONSOR    Produced in association with the American Composers Forum      Friday, October 28  Play today's show  | How to listen  A "pathetic" symphony by Tchaikovsky  In St. Petersburg on today's date* in 1893, Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky conducted the first performance of his latest Symphony, his Sixth. From the beginning, this symphony has been commonly known by its French subtitle, the "Pathétique," a designation suggested by the composer's brother, Modest.  Now, in Russian,"pathétique" translates into something like "passionate" or "emotional," with overtones of "pathos" and "suffering," but in plain old English,"pathétique" translates as "pathetic," a word with a whole slew of negative connotations.** The French sounds much better, thank you.  Tchaikovsky himself had originally intended ...