Symphony No. 4 "Homage to Beethoven", op. 21a, after his sketches for the Tenth Symphony
Full Orchestra - Digital Sheet Music

Fourth Symphony in E flat major "Homage to Beethoven" (2003, revised 2021), a Neo-Classical symphony based on Beethoven's sketches for his Tenth Symphony, like a speculative "reconstruction". In 1822-1827, the fascinating Tenth Symphony (Biamonti 838) was one of Beethoven’s relatively advanced projects, but still it was at the beginning of its elaboration. The material is not quite abundant, and many secondary features in the concept sketches could have been modified, according to his working habits, should he have lived a few years more. For a true reconstruction, the sketches are too scarce, but they are also too good to be left aside and very stimulating for a composer, especially for one whose formation is indebted to Beethoven and who is willing to pay him homage. I have chosen a Neo-Classical idiom, an approach analogous to Stravinsky’s "The Fairy’s Kiss" (after Tchaikovsky). For such a work, the thorough study of fundamental articles on Beethoven’s projects and sketches (by Barry Cooper, Sieghard Brandenburg, Robert Winter, Martin Staehelin, Nicholas Cook, and Lewis Lockwood) was a necessity. Then, in 2021, the symphony was heavily revised, mainly to make it terser and truer to the sketches and to Classical practices

For this symphony, all the thematic material is Beethoven’s, and also the general outline, as much as the latter could be inferred from his sketches. In its revised version, I made use only of the sketches clearly identifiable as intended for the Tenth Symphony and dating from 1822 and later years (most of the themes of its corresponding movements), but also of a few other sketches, most of them contemporary or relatable, unused or intended for other compositions: in the continuation to the second subject group in the first movement, in the second strains of the Presto and of its Trio, and in the transitions and the episodes in the Finale. The symphony has 4 movements and is scored for a normal concert orchestra, including 3 trombones. The revised version makes use also of a contrabassoon, to support the double basses and suggesting a stronger presence of the winds like in the "larger scale" concerts in the Classical era (usually with doubled winds).

Total duration: 34 min. Performing Rights Organization: SOCAN. The mp3 audio clip is a recording of the first movement (Andante-Allegro-Andante).