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In 1877, a former student of Tchaikovsky's
become deeply infatuated with him, and swore that, if he did not marry her, she
would take her life. Concerned for the girl's well-being, and despite his own
inclinations, he agreed to be married in the Summer. A nervous breakdown
followed in the fall, at which point his doctors recommended that he never see
the young woman again. As so often happened, Tchaikovsky sought consolation in
composition, plunging into the orchestration of his latest Symphony, No.
4. By late in the year, he was able to give an optimistic report to his
wealthy patron, Madame von Meck, writing, "Never yet has any of my
orchestral works cost me so much labor, but I've never yet felt such love for
any of my things ... Perhaps I'm mistaken, but it seems to me that this Symphony
is better than anything I've done so far." He dedicated the work to
von Meck - "To my best friend", who agreed to the honor only on terms
of anonymity.
Incredible optimism like this 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.
P. 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