The 2017 Verbier Festival comes to a resounding finish with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. Its somber and spellbinding opening bars recall the finale of Carmen, encountered by Tchaikovsky on a visit to Paris. Indeed the music and moral of Bizet’s opera profoundly influenced this symphony, with Tchaikovsky drawing heavily on the idea behind the Latin word fatum: fate’s power prevents us from ever obtaining happiness, and can never be escaped.