Tchaikovsky · Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 in F minor
It opens with the fanfare of inescapable 'Fate'
- Key
- F minor
- Composed
- 1878
- Premiere
- 1878 Moscow
- Duration
- about 42 min
- Movements
- 4 movements
- Instrumentation
- Woodwinds 2·2·2·2 (+ piccolo) · Brass 4·2·3·1 · Timpani · Percussion (triangle, cymbals, bass drum) · Strings
The story behind this piece
In 1877, Tchaikovsky hastily married Antonina Milyukova, a woman he barely knew, and the marriage fell apart in just over two months. Symphony No. 4 is the piece he wrote during that time of turmoil.
The person who held him steady in those days was his patron, Nadezhda von Meck. The two never met and only exchanged letters, and Tchaikovsky dedicated this piece to her, writing 'To my best friend' in the score instead of her name.
At Madame von Meck's request, Tchaikovsky wrote out the plot of the piece in a letter. The brass fanfare at the start, he said, is 'the seed of the whole work,' the inescapable 'Fate' that stands in the way of happiness. The premiere took place in Moscow in February 1878 under Nikolai Rubinstein.
What to listen for
- Opening of movement 1: The fanfare blasted out by the brass is 'Fate' itself. It breaks in again in the finale.
- Movement 3: The strings put down their bows and play pizzicato from beginning to end. In the middle, the woodwinds and brass chime in like a military band.
- Movement 4: The Russian folk song 'In the Field Stood a Little Birch Tree' travels around the orchestra, transforming as it goes.
Listen · Score
- Hear the full piece on YouTube · hr-Sinfonieorchester · Krzysztof Urbański
- Free scores on IMSLP (full score and parts)
Credits