Brahms Zyklus 2

In the organizer's words:

Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 3 in F major op. 90
Symphony No. 4 in E minor op. 98

Brahms had already presented Clara Schumann with a draft of the first movement for his Symphony No. 1 in 1862. So it was fermenting inside him. But it was not until the summer of 1876 that he was finally able to put his first symphonic work on paper within a few weeks. In the meantime, he had laid the foundations for this: by composing large choral-orchestral works and chamber music for various instrumentations on the one hand, and by gaining experience with the orchestral apparatus as a conductor of major orchestras on the other.

For decades, Johannes Brahms' symphonies were primarily reduced to their technical qualities. In fact, Brahms studied the arts of the old Dutch composers as well as those of Handel and Bach and subsequently developed his very own way of linking the four movements of a symphony through interrelated motifs. From this he constructed an ideological contrast to Liszt and Wagner, who elevated the reference to a poetic idea to a higher aesthetic principle.

For some years now, Brahms fans have been increasingly searching for hidden messages in Brahms' symphonies, for events from his life and images that he transformed into sounds. Above all, there are the failed attempts to found a family and his own household. His once great love for Clara Schumann faded after the death of her husband. And he was unable to attract other ladies who would have been suitable. So, like Beethoven, he remained alone for the rest of his life. Many moments in his symphonies reflect this tragedy. The uplifting, beautiful melodies, on the other hand, are not only due to his belief in a better heavenly world, but also to the numerous natural beauties that he enjoyed, especially in the summer months on the island of Rügen or in the Austrian mountains. There he found the inner peace to compose his great orchestral works.