Sinfonie Nr. 4 d-Moll op. 120 (1841/1851)

A late starter in music? After the 1841 premiere which was anything but promising, Schumann did not deal with his Fourth Symphony and put the finishing touches to it until 10 years later. One of its most remarkable features is its structure. The individual movements – none of which is really completed – shall follow each other without a break, thus leading to a great one-movement structure. The work is pervaded by common thematic, rhythmic and harmonic connections. In 1841, such an approach to the symphonic form was still unusual. In the second half of the 19th century, however, it was widely applied.