Symphony No. 1: the "totally
different" Symphony

After having made three "attempts" at a symphony as well as finished his first version of the introductory movement of Op. 68 in 1862, Brahms required a further 14 years in order to complete his first symphony at the mature age of 43. The première took place on November 4, 1876 in Karlsruhe, and was greeted with great enthusiasm: from then onwards, the work was dubbed "Beethoven's No. 10". The structure of Brahms' Symphony No. 1 adheres to the four-movement symphonic layout. However, due to his re-interpretation of the Scherzo as a small-scale Allegretto, as well as the numerous mutual motivic references between this Allegretto and the slow movement, both middle movements seem somehow to merge into one. Thus combined with the significant outer movements, this conveys a rather more tripartite feeling to the symphony. This tripartition subtly, yet determinedly penetrates the four-movement concept of the symphony.
As Brahms already presents the entire motivic material of the symphony on a plate in the C-minor introduction, he breaks with the dualistic principle, according to which the main themes should contrast with one another. Brahms derives both main themes from a violin motif ascending in semi-tones above descending winds and an organ point provided by kettledrums and double basses, and immediately gets down to the thematic development during the exposition. Furthermore, the principle of the "developing variation" is the basis for the incredibly dense and detailed developmental work in all parameters of the symphonic movement. Whereas the first movement portrays a kind of ever-expanding musical "cell-division" from a nucleus, and the middle movements drive these germ-cells forward from a motivic standpoint, thus Brahms presents in the Finale a new view on the matter: towards the end of the introduction, for the first time in the work, he presents – by means of an alpenhorn melody, followed by choral-like additions – unified melodic sections, which are no longer subjected to any variation, before the entrance of the Beethovenian "ode to joy" melody.
Not until the recapitulation do the alpenhorn melody and the main theme merge into an "inner unity" (Schubert), which had consistently been denied them in the previous movements.

Symphony No.2:
the "charming monster"
In the summer of 1877, Brahms conceived and began composing his Symphony No. 2 in Pörtschach am Wörthersee, completing the work during the September and October in Lichtenthal near Baden-Baden. At first glance, the contrast between the first and second symphonies could not be more striking: on the one hand, drama, tragedy and "per aspera ad astra"; on the other, lyricism, cheerfulness, and a carefree, idyllic tone full of exuberance. In principle, this contrast remains valid, yet the edge is clearly taken off its sharpness when one looks under the polished surface of the D-major work, and also more closely examines a number of comments by the composer. Thus Brahms wrote to his publisher Simrock of the "sweet new monster" and in a letter to Vincenz Lachner of the "necessary shadow-side to the cheerful symphony". Thus, the listener should not be deceived by the appearance of a pastoral idyll.
Here, once again, Brahms clearly intensifies his principle of the evolution of the symphonic progression from an ever-present motivic core, which he had already set out in his first symphony. Thus, the twisting second figure (D, C sharp, D), with the subsequent leap of a fourth in the bass that opens the work, turns into the core theme of the entire symphony. For Brahms, the crucial point was not the originality of the thematic idea, but what he could make of it. Throughout the entire first movement, Brahms comes up with different variations on the second figure. In the short, three-part Adagio, he is way ahead of his time as far as his treatment of the harmonies is concerned. The third movement is a fast dance movement in which everything is also based on a core motif. In the Finale, the "main subject of the first movement enjoys great triumphs" (Holland), and provides the basis for the development of the themes. Here, everything is related to everything else.

Symphony No. 3:
chamber-music symphony
As far as transparency and comprehension are concerned, the Symphony No. 3 in F major could almost be defined as chamber music. Here, even more than in his previous works, Brahms is concentrating on the details, on the inner spirit of the music. The core motif technique now has a structural significance. The Symphony No. 3 is not out to gain attention, it should be considered on its own merits. The symphony was composed in Wiesbaden in the summer of 1883, and received its première on December 2 in Vienna, under the direction of Hans Richter.
Only in the structure of its intervals is the core motif of the third symphony succinctly thematic: the third-sixth motif consists of the notes F, A flat, F, dominating and permeating the entire symphony. The motif emerges continually like a central theme at the transition from one movement to another during the course of the music, making the music relatively comprehensive and transparent. In the first movement, its harmonic progression announces the continual alternation between the major and minor keys. The short middle movements appear as almost episodic compared to the previous dynamics and powerful expression. The Andante and Scherzo are written in a loose a-b-a form, in accordance with the fine tradition of "Songs without Words". In the Finale, once again reference is made to all movements, as a kind of reminiscence. It forms a substantial counterbalance to the first movement, even surpassing it as far as explosive strength is concerned. The references culminate in the presentation of the main theme from the first movement: however, in this case, not in the fullness of its powerful energy, but more like a distant memory full of transparency. The conclusion more or less fades away into a resigned stillness after the previous eruptions.

Symphony No. 4:
the power of the variation
The Symphony No. 4 is the culmination of Brahms' symphonic works, as well as the final destination of a direction within the genre, to which Mendelssohn and Schumann had already contributed. In this work, Brahms increases the stature of the variation to an all-dominating principle. And thanks to its combination of both the past and the present, the work points to a future for the genre, which would not be recognized until the 20th century.
Brahms wrote his Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 during the summer months of 1884 and 1885 in the Styrian town of Mürzzuschlag. It demonstrates an extraordinary subtlety regarding musical parameters, a feeling for compositional nuances, for variative elements employed to an almost microscopic degree. And indeed, the Symphony No. 4 is primarily a work for the intelligent and knowledgeable listener: it includes a conspicuous amount of intensification of the musical development, especially within the internal structure.
The first movement begins with a flowing, graceful main theme in the violins, which bestows upon the movement an utterly ordinary character. The theme is then immediately subjected to the variation principle, and as a consequence, the structure of the sonata movement becomes blurred in the mind of the listener. The two-part Andante has an archaic feeling to it. The melancholy mood is lifted in the Allegro giocoso, thanks to its rather burlesque character. The climax of the symphony is the Finale: however, it is not presented as the glorious culmination of the symphonic structure, but rather as a plain set of variations (including a reference to Beethoven's Eroica), based on the Baroque passacaglia structure. Brahms presents no less than 30 variations on the fixed eight-bar bass theme, which he took from Bach's cantata "Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich". It would be hard to come up with a more simple theme: just second intervals, as in a musical scale. Only one note is added by Brahms. During the course of the movement, the work becomes more complex, until Brahms concatenates the passacaglia theme with the theme of the thirds at the beginning of the symphony. The work concludes with a monumental intensification.

Academic Festival
Overture in C minor, Op. 80
and Tragic Overture, Op. 81
For Brahms, it was not unusual to be working simultaneously on two works that were complete opposites in both temperament and emotion. This was also the case with the Academic Festival Overture and the Tragic Overture, which are usually mentioned in the same breath. During a concert in which both works were performed in Breslau, Brahms himself commented as follows: "One work cries, the other one laughs," thus emphasizing the completely different characters of the two overtures. Christian Martin Schmidt spoke of the "double face, often characteristic of works by Brahms," thus referring to his usual two-sided approach to a compositional problem.
Brahms wrote his Academic Festival Overture to mark the occasion of an honorary doctorate awarded to him by the University of Breslau on March 11, 1879. Inspired by his friend Bernhard Scholz, he composed both overtures during the summer of 1880, in Bad Ischl. In his "doctorate" symphony, the composer incorporated no fewer than four student songs, which he not only presented clearly and separately as open quotes – such as Wir hatten gebauet, ein stattliches Haus (perhaps better known thanks to its later incorporation by Mahler into Ich hab mich ergeben) and Was kommt dort von der Höh –, but also skilfully integrated during the course of the music in Alles schweiget and the well-known Gaudeamus igitur at the end of the work. A coda without any motivic or thematic connection to the preceding music concludes the work with a triumphant gesture.
"The Academic tempted me to write a second overture, which I can only think of calling Dramatic – with which title I am not really happy. In the past, it was only my music that I did not like, now I don't even like the title: perhaps this is just vanity?", thus wrote Brahms in August 1880. The piece is, indeed, dramatic and also far less accessible than its light-hearted sister-work. The Tragic Overture adheres religiously to the Classical sonata form; and in its pathetic and tragic expression, its halting rhythm, its typical funeral-march elements, but also in its pastoral-tinted transition, it strongly evokes the music of Beethoven. The title "overture" is confusing: after all, the work is not an introduction to a tragedy. Rather, it embodies Brahms' opinion and understanding of the tragic.

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