Anonymously dedicated to Tchaikovsky’s patron and friend Nadejda von Meck, the Symphony was a great source of pride for the composer. “Never has a work demanded so much of me, but never have I felt so much love for one of my creations,” he wrote to von Meck. This expression of enthusiasm was rather unusual for Tchaikovsky, who was generally morose and dissatisfied, and probably explains his ardour in defending the work.
After its premiere in 1878, the Symphony No. 4 was generally criticized for its programmatic approach, or reference to an external text, image or concept. To these criticisms Tchaikovsky retorted: “I fail to see why you consider this a flaw. On the contrary, I would be sorry if symphonies that do not signify anything came from my pen.” He then added that his work was inspired by Beethoven’s “Fate Symphony” in its main idea, rather than in its content.
This “main idea,” which Tchaikovsky explains in a letter to von Meck, is fate, the seed of the whole symphony. The strident fanfare heard at the opening of the first movement represents the fate that hangs over human beings like the sword of Damocles. Its motif of accented eighth notes alludes to the one Beethoven used in the famous opening to his Fifth Symphony (pa-pa-pa-paaaaah), also representing fate. It is a theme that conveys the fatal power that stands in the way of all joy, which in this movement is represented by a waltz. The second movement expresses the emotional exhaustion, the melancholy one may feel after an exhausting day, while the third conveys an increasingly blurred imagination under the effect of wine. The fourth and final movement may be described as an explosive surprise. The theme of the first movement resurfaces, much like fate that cannot be avoided, accompanied this time by relentless, overflowing joy. Happiness is indeed possible, provided one accepts one’s fate.
