Neeme Järvi: Taneyev Symphony 4, dedicated to Glazunov

Sergey Taneyev - Symphony No. 4 in C Minor Op. 12 (1898)
Conducted by Neeme Jarvi with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London.

I. Allegro Molto - 00:00
II. Adagio - 13:07
III. Scherzo - Vivace - 25:58
IV. Finale - Allegro Energico - 31:50


Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 12, (1898), was dedicated to Alexander Glazunov, who conducted its première on 21 March 1898 in St Petersburg. If the Second Symphony was the work of a young composer at the beginning his career, the Fourth was written by a master of counterpoint, composer of the cantata Ioann Damaskin, the monumental opera Oresteia, a number of chamber works and a great many vocal compositions. By the time he completed his Fourth Symphony, Taneyev had earned the nickname the 'Russian Brahms', which he vehemently rejected, but, as this work suggests, the comparison was certainly not without foundation. The music of both composers, renowned masters of counterpoint who produced four symphonies each, bears striking similarities in its melodic and harmonic structures, form, and even origins. Taneyev finished the symphony in less than two years—quickly for the composer who took more than twelve years to write his opera Oresteia, and almost twenty years to complete his theoretical treatise Invertible Counterpoint in the Strict Style (1906, published 1909).

Countess Sophya Tolstaya wrote in her diary: 'Sergey Ivanovich played for me his wonderful symphony and it affected me very much: it is a beautiful work, with noble, elevated style'. Rimsky-Korsakov also wrote to Taneyev: 'I think that your symphony is the best contemporary work: it is noble in style, excellent in form and marvellous in the development of all its musical ideas'.

The opening Allegro molto is a complex, extensive essay in counterpoint, which introduces most of the main themes of the symphony. It starts with a powerful three-note call based on the tritone (C to F sharp), Taneyev's trademark interval in all his mature works, in the strings and trombones. Like the opening 'Fate motif' in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Taneyev's tritone call reappears throughout the movement. The confident composer freely and organically develops the musical material, building up waves of tension and sound that eventually lead to the repeat of the opening call and a pulsating theme in the strings. Taneyev's lyricism is of a more mature, profound quality than that heard in his Second Symphony. The composer observes rather than participates, thus being in greater control over his emotions. Despite its predominantly optimistic character, the Allegro rushes towards a climax that leaves us with the sense of unresolved conflict.

The broadly flowing Adagio begins with a repetition of the three-note motif of the Allegro molto in the violins, this time a minor third lower. Powerful, surging, yearning, the Adagio abounds in clear textures and full sounds, which display Taneyev's absolute confidence in orchestral writing.

A delightful Scherzo brings back the opening tritone call, and contains a playful, dance-like theme in the oboe. The Scherzo is an encrypted self-portrait of the composer, who adored jokes and tricks. Taneyev's high-pitched laughter, once musically depicted by Anton Arensky in his Suite for Two Pianos, Op. 23, No. 2, is clearly heard in the opening theme of this Scherzo. The glimpses of light sarcasm reveal a little-known but important side of Taneyev's character, seldom found in his music.

The energetic and decisive grand finale, marked Allegro energico—Molto maestoso, with its brilliant, scintillating orchestration, and majestic, optimistic character re-confirms life-giving strength. As in his opera Oresteia, here Taneyev is interested in a human being who is the master of his own destiny, but who has to earn this right through struggle and hardship. This is shown in great contrasts, which are reminiscent now of Wagner's musical identification of Fafner in Das Rheingold, now of instrumental episodes from Rubinstein's opera The Demon, and signal flashes of what Shostakovich would develop later in his motoric drumming instrumental episodes. Taneyev powerfully and confidently marches towards victory in the brass-heavy finale of this monumental, heroic symphony that has been considered by many to be his finest instrumental composition.