MID-LIFE

Brahms took his time over his first piano concerto, and the period was overshadowed by his friend Robert Schumann’s attempt to commit suicide. The second movement is a “gentle portrayal” of Clara Schumann, while the first and final movements are a testimony to passionate despair – or desperate passion. Brahms helped Antonín Dvořák establish himself as a composer just as Schumann had supported Brahms before – and as with Schumann a close friendship grew up between the two. Dvořák learned how to deftly develop his 6th-Symphony themes from his mentor, whereas his cheerful, folksy airs were a direct legacy of his Bohemian homeland.

PROGRAMME:
Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, op. 15
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 6 in D major, op 60