Few works in the symphonic repertoire capture the raw struggle of the human spirit as vividly as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. When the Colorado Symphony and guest conductor Delyana Lazarova bring this powerful work to Boettcher Concert Hall from October 3-5, 2025, audiences will hear a symphonic confession born out of turmoil, longing, and the inexorable hand of fate.
The year was 1877, and Tchaikovsky stood at a crossroads in his life. It was a year defined by two women who altered the course of his destiny in opposite ways.
The first was Nadezhda von Meck, a wealthy widow who fell deeply under the spell of his music. Though they never met in person, her generous patronage and unceasing letters of support freed him from his teaching duties at the Moscow Conservatory and allowed him to compose without financial burden. She became his confidante, his sounding board, and his emotional anchor.
The second was Antonina Miliukov, a former student whose obsessive affection led Tchaikovsky into a disastrous marriage. Hoping marriage might offer stability and quiet the rumors surrounding his private life, he ignored his own instincts and proposed. Within weeks, the relationship collapsed, leaving the composer devastated and fleeing across Europe in a desperate attempt to escape his personal despair.
Between these two fateful encounters, Tchaikovsky poured his heart into the sketches for his Fourth Symphony. By the time his marriage unraveled, the symphony was already taking shape, a work haunted by the inevitability of fate, yet sustained by the possibility of joy and renewal.
Tchaikovsky himself described the work’s driving force in a letter to von Meck: the opening blast of brass, he explained, is “the kernel, the chief thought of the whole Symphony. This is Fate, the fatal power that hinders one in the pursuit of happiness…a might that swings, like the sword of Damocles, constantly over the head.”
“This is Fate, the fatal power that hinders one in the pursuit of happiness…”
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer
From there, the music unfolds as a deeply personal narrative:
- The first movement struggles between despair and fleeting visions of happiness, only to be shattered by the return of Fate.
- The second movement offers bittersweet nostalgia, memories of lost youth, happiness recalled but out of reach.
- The third movement dances with whimsy, its plucked strings conjuring half-formed images like those drifting through a dream or a haze of intoxication.
- The finale erupts in celebration, drawing on the Russian folk song A Birch Stood in the Meadow. Yet even here, Fate intrudes, reminding us that joy is fragile, but possible, especially when found in the lives and laughter of others.
“There is not a single line in this Symphony that I have not felt in my whole being and that has not been a true echo of the soul.”
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer
“There is not a single line in this Symphony that I have not felt in my whole being,” Tchaikovsky confessed, “and that has not been a true echo of the soul.”
Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony is a portrait of survival. Out of heartbreak, fear, and relentless self-doubt, he created a work that speaks directly to the resilience of the human spirit.
Hear Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Live
The Colorado Symphony invites you to experience this extraordinary journey with Delyana Lazarova on the podium. Together, orchestra and audience will confront the shadow of Fate, and ultimately, find light in the celebration of life itself.
