SL - Liked all three! :) Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36 performed by New York Philharmonic Under Leonard Bernstein And this "blurb" about the symphony (source : - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B4DJmy34XI&mode=related&search= ) Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36, was written in 1877--1878. It is in four movements: I. Andante Sostenuto—Moderato con anima (F minor) II. Andantino in modo di canzona (B-flat minor) III. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato (F major) IV. Allegro con fuoco (F major) During the composition of the symphony, Tchaikovsky wrote to his patron, Madame Nadezhda von Meck, that he wanted "very much" to dedicate it to her, and that he would write on it "Dedicated to My Best Friend". The symphony's first performance was at a Russian Musical Society concert in St. Petersburg on February 10 (Old Style)/February 22 (New Style) 1878, with Nikolai Rubinstein as conductor. It is scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, and strings. The second movement is tinged with melancholy and regret. Initial critical reaction to the work 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!" 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.