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In 1877, a former student of Pyotr Tchaikovsky became deeply infatuated with him and swore that, if he won’t marry her, she will take her life. Concerned for the girl's well-being and despite his own inclinations, Tchaikovsky agreed to marry. A nervous breakdown followed weeks later. Doctors recommended him to avoid his wife. Tchaikovsky sought consolation in composition, plunging into the orchestration of Symphony No. 4. The year later, he gave an optimistic report to his wealthy patron, Madame von Meck: "None of my orchestral compositions has been so challenging, but I've never felt such love for any of them... Perhaps I'm mistaken, but it seems, that this Symphony is better than anything I've composed so far". He dedicated the work to von Meck - "To my best friend", who agreed to the honor only on terms of anonymity.
High self-esteem was not common for Tchaikovsky. Seven years prior, the composer destroyed his symphonic fantasia "Fatum". Fortunately, the work was later restored from the surviving music.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
(1840 - 1893)
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
1. Andante sostenuto. Moderato con anima - 18:42
2. Andantino in modo di canzona - 8:17
3. Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato. Allegro - 5:00
4. Finale. Allegro con fuoco - 7:50
5. "Fatum" (Symphonic Fantasia), Op. 77 - 15:57
6. Capriccio Italien, Op. 45 - 14:14
Total time - 70:00
The USSR Symphony Orchestra
Evgeni Svetlanov, conductor