Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) Symphony No 2 in D Major, op 73 (1877)
i. Allegro non troppo ii. Adagio non troppo iii. Allegretto grazioso (Quasi Andantino) — Presto ma non assai —Tempo 1 iv. Allegro con spirito There is unquestionably a feeling of release in Brahms’s D major Symphony. After having laboured with the First Symphony for some fifteen years encumbered by the burden of being perceived as…
Rossini (1792 — 1868) Overture Semiramide (1823)
Rossini, as his music suggests, was one of the most flamboyant composers in the history of music; world—famous as a composer after just five birthdays, he retired from composing before his tenth birthday and subsequently became a gourmet of note, inventing, amongst other dishes, the steak dish Tournedos Rossini. You will have guessed, of course,…
Chopin (1810-1849) Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor, Op 21 (1829)
i. Maestoso ii. Larghetto iii. Allegro Vivace Although Chopin was born near Warsaw his father was actually French, hence the French configuration and pronunciation of the family’s surname, which they never sought to adapt. Fryderyk did however adapt his Christian names for his new location, having been christened Frederic Francois Chopin, which in Polish became…