Despite its genesis in the depths of despair, with the first movement capturing the dominant and indestructible march of destiny, the symphony ends on a triumphant note. The fourth and final movement of the Symphony is one of hope, no longer expressing a mood of despair when confronted with the irreversibility of fate, but offering a means to live in spite of such ruthless forces of nature. Go among the people. See how they are able to make merry, to give themselves up entirely to joyous feelings. Blame yourself, and do not say that everything in the world is sad.
Joys there are, simple but powerful.
Delight in the merriment of others. One is reminded here of Tchaikovsky s great compatriot and contemporary, Leo Tolstoy, himself an admirer of the composer. In his Confession , begun a year after the completion of Tchaikovsky s Fourth Symphony, Tolstoy also saw the only way to emerge out of the dark well of despair was to return to the simplicity of life provided by others. For Tolstoy as well as Tchaikovsky, this provided the hope that enabled life to continue. Indeed, shortly before the composition of the Fourth Symphony, Tolstoy had presented Tchaikovsky with his book The Cossacks in appreciation of the composer s music.