Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60

The symphony opens with a slow, shadowy introduction in a minor key, quiet and searching, before a sudden burst of energy launches the main fast section in a bright major key, full of scurrying strings and sudden accents.

I. Adagio, Allegro vivace: after that mysterious opening, the movement takes off with tumbling scales and playful exchanges between sections of the orchestra, building to an exuberant close.

II. Adagio: a broad, singing melody unfolds over a steady rhythmic pulse that recurs throughout, giving the movement a gentle, walking momentum beneath its lyrical surface.

III. Allegro vivace: a vigorous dance movement with a stomping, off-kilter rhythm, alternating with a slower, more relaxed trio section featuring winds.

IV. Allegro ma non troppo: a nonstop scramble of fast notes in the strings, humorous and breathless, with the theme occasionally slowing down as if catching its breath before rushing to a bright finish.

Listeners coming from the Eroica or the Fifth will notice how much lighter and more playful this symphony feels, built on wit and momentum rather than heroic struggle.

Beethoven composed his Fourth Symphony in 1806, during a productive summer spent partly at the Silesian estate of Count Franz von Oppersdorff, who commissioned the work and to whom it is dedicated. It was written quickly, sandwiched between the towering Third Symphony ("Eroica") and the Fifth, and shares none of their overt drama. The premiere took place in Vienna in 1807 at a private concert hosted by Beethoven's patron Prince Lobkowitz. Robert Schumann later described it as a slender Greek maiden between two Norse giants, a comparison that stuck in the popular imagination even though it undersells the symphony's own ambition and craft. It has remained a favorite among musicians for its charm, humor, and technical polish.