Symphony

Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, 'Italian'

1 upcoming performance in New York

Felix Mendelssohn’s *Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, “Italian”* grew out of his travels in Italy and turns those impressions into a four-movement portrait, from bright lyricism to dance forms that hint at a saltarello. At NJPAC, violinist-conductor Joshua Bell leads the New Jersey Symphony, bringing a soloist’s sense of line to early-Romantic orchestral writing. In New York’s 19th-century concert life, Mendelssohn’s symphonies helped set standards for orchestral discipline and clarity. One enduring point is how the score keeps momentum without relying on sheer volume.