Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings.
Duration: 45 minutes in four movements.
THE COMPOSER – JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) – In a historical field so thick with prodigy lore, Brahms took a surprisingly long time to compose his first symphony. Mozart and Mendelssohn did it before their teens, Haydn and Schumann in their twenties. Brahms, however, was 43 in 1876 when his opus 68 finally had its premiere. The fact that he had been pondering the symphony genre since as far back as 1854 speaks to how seriously he considered this step.
THE MUSIC – The symphony form was, for Brahms, the ultimate test of any composer’s abilities and the principle material from which their legacy should be divined. Even at twenty, he was well aware of the grand Austro-Germanic symphonic tradition that had been brought to full bloom under Beethoven and that the titan’s successor had not yet been named. Brahms’ earliest attempt followed a somewhat diagonal trajectory and became First Piano Concerto rather than the First Symphony but the influence of Beethoven could be heard throughout. It is true that Beethoven’s formidable shadow stalked Brahms always, causing him to shy away from the genre (and purely orchestral works in general for a time). Just before he finally produced a pair of string quartets (the other critical compositional litmus) Brahms said that he would never write a symphony, claiming he could hear the “giant marching behind him.” It was as if the conquering of the string quartet constituted the only time he intended to stare down the master’s ghost, as if he only had enough strength to do that deed once. Not so, thankfully. Brahms had sent some sketches to Clara Schumann back in 1862 that indicated quite clearly he was ready to make his own statement as a symphonist. She recognized then a new boldness in Brahms’ voice and even though it would require another decade to fully incubate, it would eventually grow into his grand and “rather strong” masterpiece, the Symphony No. 1.
THE WORLD – Spain’s Third Carlist War ended in 1876, which was also the year Queen Victoria took the title “Empress of India.” Back in the United States, the country celebrated its centennial and founded baseball’s National League.
THE CONNECTION – Brahms 1 gets programmed regularly on the Utah Symphony’s Masterworks series. The most recent performances occurred in February of 2009 under Jean-Claude Casadesus.
