The Symphony No. 6 (Pathtique) premiered in October 1893, conducted by the composer himself, only nine days prior to his death. It spans the widest extremes of human emotions, from light-hearted frivolity to the deepest depths of melancholy. The Suite from Swan Lake comprises the musical highlights of arguably the most famous and popular of all ballets. Completed in only a week, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture is one of the worlds most adored orchestral works, although the composer felt it without artistic merit. This Russian festival spectacle commemorates Napoleons humiliating retreat from Moscow.