Symphony No. 4 (Tchaikovsky)

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F Minor was completed in 1877. It is in four movements:

Related Topics:
Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky - 1877

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• Andante Sostenuto—Moderato con anima
• Andantino in modo di canzona
• Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato
• Allegro con fuoco

He dedicated the work to his patron, Madame Nadezhda von Meck. Its first performance was at a Russian Musical Society concert in St. Petersburg on February 10, 1878.

Related Topics:
Nadezhda von Meck - Russian Musical Society - St. Petersburg - February 10 - 1878

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According to a letter he wrote to Madame von Meck in 1878, the first movement represents fate; the second melancholy; the third has no definite program; and the fourth movement "is a portrait of a folk-holiday: imagine how it feels to be jolly. Hardly have you begun to have a good time when Fate again announces its approach. Others are not concerned with your suffering: only by rejoicing in the happiness of others is it possible to live."

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Initial critical reaction was unfavorable, and reaction to the premiere in the United States was similar. In 1890 a reviewer for the New York Post wrote, "The Fourth Tchaikovsky Symphony proved to be one of the most thoroughly Russian, i.e. semi-barbaric, compositions ever heard in the city. ... If Tchaikovsky had called his symphony 'A Sleigh Ride Through Siberia' no one would have found this title inappropriate." A reviewer in Germany in 1897 wrote "The composer's twaddle disturbed my mood. The confusion in brass and the abuse of the kettledrums drove me away!"

Related Topics:
New York Post - Germany - 1897

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In spite of its early critical reviews, the symphony has become a staple of the orchestral repertoire, and remains one of the most frequently performed symphonies of the late 19th century.

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