Composed: 1877-78
Premiered: 1878, Moscow
Duration: 44 minutes

The Fourth Symphony was composed in 1877 during the period referred to in a biography by Alexander Poznansky as “Encounter with Fate,” the time of Tchaikovsky’s most destructive and most beneficial involvements with women. His opera, Eugene Onegin, was started just before his marriage to Antonina Ivanovna; he seems to have seen a parallel between Onegin and Tatyana and his own situation with respect to the girl whose love he could not reciprocate. He was determined not to emulate Onegin, but to do the right thing and marry her, with predictably disastrous results. He suffered a complete emotional collapse, and was ordered to travel abroad and never see his wife again.

At about the same time, Tchaikovsky came in contact with Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck, a wealthy widow and enthusiastic music lover. The two of them corresponded for many years, pouring out their most intimate thoughts to each other, but made a special point never to meet. Even if both happened to be present at the same concert, they carefully avoided meeting. Nadezhda Filaretovna began by paying generously for commissioned works from Tchaikovsky, but soon paid him an annual allowance, which relieved him of the need to do anything except compose. The Fourth Symphony was dedicated to her as his “best friend”; it was started before and completed shortly after his marital break-up. He regarded it as an echo, rather than a depiction of his depression during this period. In a letter to Nadezhda Filaretovna, although trying to ensure that it would not become public, he attempted to explain the program of “her” symphony. It is much too long to quote in full here, but in essence he says that the opening represents “the implacability of Fate,” pointing to the analogy of Beethoven’s Fifth. But he goes on, “If you do not discover joy in yourself, look to others, delight in the merriment of others. Life is still possible.”

Program note by the late Dr. C.W. Helleiner.