The Fourth Symphony has provoked much curiosity and discussion. It is certainly one of Sibelius' most enigmatic works, and the general consensus of his fans is that it is one of his best. But its austerity stands in marked contrast with the tuneful and relaxed Symphony No. 3 (1904-1907) and the heroic and extroverted Symphony No. 5 (1914-1919). Why the dramatic change in style?

The period of the Fourth Symphony was a difficult, traumatic time for Sibelius. His country was suffering under increasing repression from Russia. In addition, in 1907, Sibelius was diagnosed with throat cancer, for which he underwent painful surgery. Though the surgery was successful, he was forced to give up his beloved cigars and alcohol. And, as his diary of the time reflects, he came face to face with his mortality in dramatic fashion. He makes frequent note of his diminished concentration and capacity for work.

Some have sought to find in the symphony some sort of extramusical program. One of the composer's friends, music critic K.F. Wasenius, even insisted that Sibelius had told him that the Fourth was inspired by a trip to the Karelian mountain Kolivaara, and that the four movements symbolized Sibelius' impression of the mountain: the ascent, view from the top, and descent. Sibelius vehemently denied any such intent.

Around 1907, Sibelius also seems to have made a conscious decision to experiment in his work, partly motivated by his dislike of the gigantism and philosophical pretension of works like Richard Strauss' tone poems and the symphonies of Gustav Mahler. Many of Sibelius' works of this time, such as the string quartet Voces Intimae, Op. 56, share the Fourth Symphony's remoteness and dissonance.

The symphony was begun in early 1910, completed in April 1911, and first performed in Helsinki with Sibelius conducting, on April 3, 1911. The applause was polite only, the overall reaction one of puzzlement. Sibelius' wife Aino later recalled: "People avoided our eyes, shook their heads; their smiles were embarrassed, furtive, or ironic. Not many people came backstage to the artists' room to pay their respects." A similar response greeted the work in subsequent performances elsewhere in Europe and America.

The work is certainly slow to give up its meaning. The textures are consistently spare. Only occasionally is the entire orchestra used; much of the time we hear but a few instruments at a time. Likewise, the melodic ideas are very short, at times almost aphoristic. The first movement, for instance, seems to evolve from its querulous first four notes, a motif which recurs throughout the symphony. The music seems to drift, vague, unanchored, fragmentary, the quiet interrupted only briefly by orchestral climaxes. The movement ends abruptly and unresolved.

The second movement emerges quickly from the first. The pastoral dance of the solo oboe evokes the world of Sibelius' earlier symphonies, the movement as a whole serving as something of a light-hearted diversion. The mood darkens again in the slow third movement which, while meditative and occasionally song-like, is also haunted, with textures of an almost Webern-like spareness.

The fourth movement has many ideas and abrupt changes of mood. It opens almost cheerfully, with occasional contributions from the "Glocken" (so-named in Sibelius' score, there is still controversy over whether the composer had in mind the bright-sounding glockenspiel or the richer sound of tubular bells). A feeling of lethargy settles in, however, and the ending of the symphony is at best non-committal, even brusque. It is a strange and haunting end to one of Sibelius' greatest compositions.

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