When I first entered Avery Fisher Hall to hear three works from the NY Philharmonic, I wanted to come in with a blank slate. I did not want to hear any of the works ahead of time because I wanted to be in the moment because it was my first time hearing the orchestra perform. The three works performed were Carnival, by Dvorak, Piano Concerto No 2 by Magnus Lindberg and Tchaikovsky’s symphony No 4 which was conducted by Alan Gilbert. Dvorak’s piece was the shortest at an estimated 10 minutes; Magnus Lindberg’s piece estimated around 33 minutes and finally Tchaikovsky’s piece estimated at 42 minutes. For my first time hearing the NY Philharmonic, I felt like a little kid in a candy store. I was glued to every moment. Interestingly, there was a composition by a composer who is still living to describe the piece he composed, but I will not discuss that piece although I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was one piece that spoke to me the most, and that was Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 movement 2.

Before I focus on the movement, I will give a brief biography of the work. Symphony No. 4 was composed from 1877-1878. It was written around the time he was involved with his patron Nedezhda von Meck. This symphony was dedicated to von Meck because Tchaikovsky used her as an inspiration for this symphony. The piece took him almost a year to compose because he stated he had trouble composing the first movement because it was “long and complicated.” He called the rest of the movements “very simple” and “pleasant to orchestrate.” The instrumentation of the work is two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, and strings.

While composing the piece Tchaikovsky married someone then abandoned her. This caused the piece to be, as the program stated “put on hold”, yet Tchaikovsky still maintained his relationship with von Meck stating, “our symphony progresses.” What is unique about this piece is the fact that Tchaikovsky revealed the intent of his piece because von Meck asked what the piece meant. Since I am focusing on the second movement, I will explain the text that explains the movement. Tchaikovsky considered the piece to be “another phase of depression.” He also explained it’s the moment when a person “weary from labor, you sit alone, and take a book-but it fall from your hand.” This is very specific.

The Second movement is Andantino in moda di canzona and the key is b-flat minor. The oboe has a solo in the movement. The movement to me sounded like a conflict of emotions. In some parts of the movement is seemed to portray joy in other moments there seemed to be pain. It felt like a roller coaster ride. This to me shows how Tchaikovsky felt being with von Meck. The movement sounded like a journey. This piece is a prime example of a romantic work. It told a story that can be taken in many directions. Even though Tchaikovsky gave text, he still left some room for the imagination.

All in all my experience with the NY Philharmonic was the most pleasant experience I have ever had in a while. I would love to hear them perform other works.