Johannes Brahms composed his Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73, during the summer of 1877 on the shores of the picturesque Lake Wörthersee in Carinthia, where he liked to spend his holidays. The landscape and atmosphere of the region found their reflection in the music, making it one of Brahms's brightest and most serene works. Commentators readily compared it to Beethoven's ‘Pastoral’ Symphony, although the composer himself regarded such associations with some reserve. The opening bars, with their gentle horn motif, immediately establish a mood of warm, gently nostalgic lyricism. They are followed by a more introspective Adagio with dramatic episodes, then a light, dance-like scherzo, before the work culminates in a radiant finale full of energy and contrast. The première, given in Vienna on 30 December 1877 under the baton of Hans Richter, was greeted with great enthusiasm.
From the same period dates Brahms’s only work for violin and orchestra, the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77. The composer consulted his friend, the distinguished violinist Joseph Joachim, on the solo part, and it was Joachim who gave the première performance at the Leipzig Gewandhaus on 1 January 1879. Some virtuosos of the day considered the Concerto excessively demanding, even virtually unplayable, while others criticised the overly prominent role of the orchestra. In time, however, it came to be regarded as one of the finest works of the genre. Particular affection has long been reserved for the lyrical Adagio, which opens with a beautiful oboe solo, and for the bravura finale, inspired by the vitality of Hungarian music, which had fascinated Brahms since his youth.
A fascinating interpretation of this work is sure to come from the Spanish violinist and composer María Dueñas, a prize-winner of, among others, the Menuhin Competition. The New York Times praised her ability to breathe “new life into familiar works”, describing her as “a 22-year-old violinist with something to say – and the ability to say it brilliantly”.
Piotr Maculewicz
