The Symphony No. 4 by Swiss composer Arthur Honegger

Arthur Honegger

Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...

 is a work for orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

, written in 1946 on a commission from Paul Sacher

Paul Sacher

Paul Sacher was a Swiss conductor, patron and impresario.-Biography:He studied under Felix Weingartner, among others. In 1926 he founded the Basel Chamber Orchestra to play works written before the classical period and modern works...

. Subtitled Deliciæ Basiliensis, it was first performed on January 21, 1947, by the Basel Chamber Orchestra under Sacher. The work, which contains musical quotations from two Basel

Basel

Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

 folk songs, expresses the composer's happiness during a pleasant stay in the Swiss countryside after the end of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Honegger's Fourth Symphony is a three-movement work with a total running time of about 27 minutes. The movements are titled:

1. Lento e misterioso - Allegro (approx. 11'45")
2. Larghetto (approx. 6'15")
3. Allegro (approx. 8'30")

This symphony is published by Éditions Salabert. Available ecordings of this symphony include full sets of Honegger's symphonies performed by:

• the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
  Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
  The Česká filharmonie is a symphony orchestra based in Prague and is the best-known and most respected orchestra in the Czech Republic.- History :...
  
   under Sergei Baudo (Supraphon, 1994)
• the Suisse Romande Orchestra under Fabio Luisi
  Fabio Luisi
  Fabio Luisi is an Italian conductor. On September 6, 2011, he was named Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera....
  
   (Cascavelle, 2001)
• the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra under Michel Plasson
  Michel Plasson
  Michel Plasson is a French conductor.Plasson was a student of Lazare Lévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1962, he was a prize-winner at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. He studied briefly in the United States, including time with Charles Münch...
  
   (EMI Classics, 2004)
• the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
  The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, in German Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks is the internationally renowned orchestra of the Bayerischer Rundfunk , based in Munich, Germany. It is one of the three principal orchestras in the city of Munich, along with the Munich Philharmonic...
  
   under Charles Dutoit
  Charles Dutoit
  Charles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
  
   (Apex, 2006)

Additional recordings of this symphony include:

• the Suisse Romande Orchestra under Ernest Ansermet
  Ernest Ansermet
  Ernest Alexandre Ansermet was a Swiss conductor.- Biography :Ansermet was born in Vevey, Switzerland. Although he was a contemporary of Wilhelm Furtwängler and Otto Klemperer, Ansermet represents in most ways a very different tradition and approach from those two musicians. Originally he was a...
  
   (London/Decca Enterprise, 1991)
• the Bournemouth Sinfonietta
  Bournemouth Sinfonietta
  The Bournemouth Sinfonietta was a chamber orchestra founded in 1968 as an off-shoot of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.-Formation:The orchestra was initially conducted by George Hurst, who acted as artistic adviser, and Nicholas Braithwaite, in order to perform the classical repertoire in the...
  
   under Tamás Vásáry
  Tamás Vásáry
  Tamás Vásáry is a celebrated Hungarian concert pianist.- Biography and career :Vásáry made his debut at the age of 8, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto in D major, K.107 in the city of his birth, where he gave a solo recital the following year. He then began to concertize regularly as a child...
  
   (Chandos, 1992)
• the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra under Jesús Lopez-Cobos
  Jesús López-Cobos
  Jesús López-Cobos is a Spanish conductor.López-Cobos was born in Toro, Zamora, Castile-León, Spain. He studied at Complutense University of Madrid and graduated with a degree in philosophy...
  
   (Virgin Classics, 1992 and 2001)
• the French National Radio Orchestra under Charles Munch
  Charles Munch
  Charles Munch may refer to:*Charles Munch , American artist*Charles Munch , orchestral conductorSee also:*Charles Munch discography, recordings of Munch, the conductor...
  
   (Apex, 2002)
• the Basel Chamber Orchestra under Christopher Hogwood
  Christopher Hogwood
  Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood CBE, MA , HonMusD , born 10 September 1941, Nottingham, is an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer and musicologist, well known as the founder of the Academy of Ancient Music.-Biography:...
  
  (Arte Nova, 2005)