Symphony No. 4 in F Minor

Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony is a celebration of joy and happiness triumphing over the oppressive power of fate. It was composed in 1877-78, a time of both misery and hope for the composer. In spite of being gay, Tchaikovsky married in 1877. The relationship was a disaster, leading him to depression and attempted suicide. Fortunately, he had gained a new patron the previous year, Nadezhda von Meck, whose financial and emotional support helped him through the crisis. Tchaikovsky dedicated the symphony to von Meck and wrote many letters to her explaining the music. The first movement opens with a stern horn call. Tchaikovsky related this to the opening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, a motif of fate. The fate motif recurs throughout the first movement, imposing its dark message on the more upbeat themes, including a waltz. The second movement is introduced by a gentle oboe melody, the mood plaintive but resigned. Tchaikovsky described it as the melancholy feeling one experiences at the end of a tiring day. The “Scherzo” third movement is propelled by the strings playing pizzicato (plucked) throughout. Tchaikovsky wrote that here “the first phases of intoxication” give “free rein to the imagination.” A series of fleeting images are evoked in the woodwinds and brass, including merry songs and a distant military procession. The main theme of the “Finale” is a Russian folk song, “In the Field Stood a Birch Tree,” transformed into a spectacular orchestral showpiece. Near the end, the fate motif returns, but the music’s positive energy proves the stronger force and the symphony ends in a blaze of triumph.