Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony, also known as the “Symphony of Fate”, is one of the most important works by the famous Russian composer. Written in 1877/78 at the same time as his opera “Eugene Onegin”, it has been widely celebrated since its premiere by the Moscow Music Society under Nikolai Rubinstein. Tchaikovsky himself considered it the pinnacle of his symphonic œuvre.

He dedicated the work to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck – “a mon meilleur ami” – and wrote a kind of explanatory program for it. The symphony was composed at a time of deep inner crisis, which reached its climax in 1877. It was the beginning of his double life: He entered into an unhappy marriage with a woman completely unknown to him. A public confession of his homosexuality seemed impossible. All of these inner conflicts and personal turmoil are reflected in this symphony. Tchaikovsky himself wrote of his furious final movement: “If within yourself you find no reasons for joy, then look at others.”

Breitkopf & Härtel offers the complete performance material for this milestone of 19th-century symphonic literature.