PROGRAM NOTES Felix Mendelssohn, composer (1809–1847) Symphony No. 4 in A major, Opus 90 (Italian) •
An avid traveler, Mendelssohn was inspired to write his “Italian” symphony upon taking a 10-month trip across Italy, which he began in 1830. He began sketches for the work while in Italy, before returning to London to finish the score as part of a commission from the Philharmonic Society of London.
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Mendelssohn completed the symphony in 1833 and conducted the premiere in London that same year. Despite the success of the premiere, Mendelssohn was never completely satisfied with the symphony. He continued to make revisions to the score until his death in 1847, and although several more performances took place, he refused to publish the work during his lifetime.
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Mendelssohn begins his symphony with a joyous exclamation in the strings, which unfurls over a scurrying accompaniment in the winds and low strings before transitioning to a sweet secondary melody in the woodwinds. These two themes eventually give way to a brief, brooding development section before returning to the triumphant tone of the opening.
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In the second movement, a darker, meandering melody in the woodwinds and strings is propelled by the constant motion of the bass, which advances briefly to a sentimental string and woodwind section before moving to the plodding bass line once more.
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The third movement takes the form of a graceful minuet, with a long, flowing melody in the violins soaring above the orchestra. A stately trio section is then ushered in by a fanfare in the bassoons and horns, which is answered by the trumpets and strings in alternation before concluding with a restatement of the opening minuet.
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It is in the joyous finale that Mendelssohn writes his most distinctly “Italian” music, which is based around two Italian folk dances. The movement begins with a lively saltarello, a Roman dance, which Mendelssohn brings to life with skittering melodies in the strings, accompanied by leaping figures in the low voices. The piece concludes with an equally energetic Neopolitan tarantella, bringing an end to what Mendelssohn himself describes as the “jolliest piece I have ever done.”
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Houston Symphony
