Backstage / Listening Guides / Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

Listening Guide

Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Opus 36

• Written 1877-1878.
• Symphony No. 4 is dedicated to a rich widow called Madame von Meck. She commissioned music from Tchaikovsky and financially supported him. On condition of her support they agreed to never meet and communicated only by mail – they wrote 1100 letters!
• As an attempt to suppress his homosexuality, Tchaikovsky married a student in July 1877 who declared she loved him.
• However, Tchaikovsky couldn’t bear to be near her and tried to commit suicide around the time of writing his fourth Symphony.
• Immediately after writing his fourth symphony Tchaikovsky went to stay by Lake Geneva in Switzerland with a male violinist, who inspired Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto. It is notable that the violin concerto is one of the happiest pieces he ever wrote – possibly due to his feelings towards the violinist.
  

Listening points

• Romantic music was an out pouring of emotion. Tchaikovsky was a deeply unhappy man but on the surface he suppressed this and appeared happy – see if you can hear this in the music.
• Tchaikovsky often uses one whole section of the orchestra to answer another – this technique is called antiphony. It can create drama and musical dialogue.
• Tchaikovsky wrote fantastic melodies with beautiful long lines – enjoy them!

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Movement I: Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima

• The symphony opens with a theme using triplets played by unison horns and bassoons, which represents inescapable fate.
• The strings enter with a dotted rhythm melody in 9/8, giving the music a feeling of unease.
• Tchaikovsky ends this fff (fortisissimo) to create drama, but also notice how the whole orchestra is in rhythmic unison.

Movement II: Andantino in modo di canzone

• This movement is in D flat minor and opens with a mournful legato oboe solo accompanied by pizzicato strings.
• The opening melody is then passed around various instruments particularly the bassoon.
• In the centre of this movement notice the key change to a brighter G major and the tempo speeds up. The music is marked piu mosso.

Movement III: Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato

• Pizzicato strings open this movement; the effect is musically and visually stunning.
• The strings play alone, followed by the woodwind and then the brass.
• To finish Tchaikovsky uses the 3 orchestral sections in antiphony.
• Note there is no percussion in this movement.

Movement IV: Finale: Allegro con fuoco

• This movement follows on from the previous movement with as little break as possible, which grabs the audiences’ attention.
• The tempo marking is allegro con fuoco and the dynamic is fortissimo giving this movement a celebratory feel.
• This movement is technically challenging for the strings and wind.
• Notice the uses of percussion, especially cymbals, to increase dramatic effects.
• Near the end, the fate theme suddenly reappears, briefly reminding us of Tchaikovsky’s inescapable destiny

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY 1840-1893

• Russian, Romantic composer.
• As a student, Tchaikovsky studied composition, music theory, piano, flute and organ.
• Tchaikovsky was the first Russian composer to incorporate ideas from Western composers such as Beethoven and Schumann.
• Tchaikovsky wrote a variety of orchestral, chamber, solo and stage works, including operas and ballets – famously the ballets Swan Lake and the Nutcracker.