The genesis of Beethoven’s 4th symphony came at an extraordinary time for the composer not only regarding productivity: Thus, in 1806 he composed, among other things, the 4th piano concerto, the three “Rasumovsky” string quartets op. 59, the 32 piano variations in c minor WoO 80, as well as the violin concerto op. 61. The first performance of the B-flat-major symphony occurred in March 1807 at one of the two noteworthy subscription concerts conducted by Beethoven in the Palais Lobkowitz in Vienna. In the course of time, this “intellectually-stimulating work”– so described by one of the reviewers of the “Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung” – found ever-increasing appeal. Throughout the entire 19th century this symphony ranked with the best-loved and most frequently performed works; its popularity spread to England where the London Philharmonic Society played it at least 25 times in the period between 1813 and 1850.
Extant are only a few drafts of the 4th symphony. The autograph served as the main source for the present edition edited by Prof. Bathia Churgin, likewise editor of the 3rd symphony in the new Beethoven Complete Edition. Consulted as reference sources were copies of the score and orchestral parts as well as the original edition of the parts.