Composer Alfred Schnittke’s music reflects the complexity, confusion and discord of the second half of the last century. His Viola Concerto, completed in 1985, encapsulates that pathos through the conflict between viola and orchestra, the stark contrast between fluid melodies and dissonance that ends in an elegiac finale. Tchaikovsky’s life also mirrored the tragedy that was the 19th century: his Symphony No.5 reflects the many struggles inherent in life. Listeners from different backgrounds and with different life experiences will find their own resonance in this work.