Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90 “Italian”

From 1829 to 1831, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was occupied by a tour of Europe. Out of that tour came several of his best-known works, including Symphony No. 3 “Scottish,” The Hebrides overture, and Symphony No. 4 “Italian.” Mendelssohn completed this last work in 1833, conducting its premiere at the London (Royal) Philharmonic Society on May 13 of that year. Despite its lauded position now in the orchestral repertoire, and the fact that it is among the most popular of Mendelssohn’s works, the composer was never satisfied with the symphony, periodically attempting revisions over the years. As a result, it remained unpublished until 1851, a few years after Mendelssohn’s death, and it was the original 1833 version that found its way to publication. It is this version that is still most frequently performed today. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set). Study score.