Album Notes

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.