In a pair of concerts (4 & 5 March), the Mariinsky Orchestra under Artistic Director Valery Gergiev continues its cycle of late Tchaikovsky symphonies paired with music from Tchaikovsky’s best-loved ballets associated with Marius Petipa and St Petersburg.

The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky’s last ballet, was commissioned by the Mariinsky as part of a double bill with his final opera, Iolanta.

The Imperial Orchestra gave the world premiere of Tchaikovsky’s powerful Sixth Symphony, the Pathétique, in St Petersburg, conducted by the composer, just nine days before his untimely death.