Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F Minor was completed in 1877. It is in four movements: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский, sometimes transliterated as Piotr, Anglicised as Peter Ilich), (May 7, 1840 – November 6, 1893 (N.S.); April 25, 1840 – October 25, 1893 (O.S.)) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

1. Andante Sostenuto—Moderato con anima
2. Andantino in modo di canzona
3. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato
4. Allegro con fuoco

He dedicated the work to his patron, Madame Nadezhda von Meck. Its first performance was at a Russian Musical Society concert in St. Petersburg on February 10, 1878. Nadezhda von Meck. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

According to a letter he wrote to Madame von Meck in 1878, the first movement represents fate; the second melancholy; the third has no definite program; and the fourth movement "is a portrait of a folk-holiday: imagine how it feels to be jolly. Hardly have you begun to have a good time when Fate again announces its approach. Others are not concerned with your suffering: only by rejoicing in the happiness of others is it possible to live."

Initial critical reaction was unfavorable, and reaction to the premiere in the United States was similar. In 1890 a reviewer for the New York Post wrote, "The Fourth Tchaikovsky Symphony proved to be one of the most thoroughly Russian, i.e. semi-barbaric, compositions ever heard in the city. ... If Tchaikovsky had called his symphony 'A Sleigh Ride Through Siberia' no one would have found this title inappropriate." A reviewer in Germany in 1897 wrote "The composer's twaddle disturbed my mood. The confusion in brass and the abuse of the kettledrums drove me away!" The first edition of The New York Post of July 6, 2004 incorrectly declared that U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry would choose U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt to be his vice-presidential running mate that day (in reality, Kerry chose John Edwards). ... The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ... Events January 1 - Brooklyn, New York merges with New York City. ...

In spite of its early critical reviews, the symphony has become a staple of the orchestral repertoire, and remains one of the most frequently performed symphonies of the late 19th century.

Sources

• Letter of Madame Nadeshda von Meck, paraphrased from The Symphonies of Brahms and Tschaikowsky in Score, Bonanza Books, New York, 1935.
• Nicolas Slonimsky, The Lexicon of Musical Invective. Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1965. ISBN 0295785799