RO NOW extra: Brahms 1
Timeless music captured in a short, powerful night. In this edition: Johannes Brahms’s meticulously forged Symphony No. 1, with which he proved his mettle once and for all.
Programme
- Debussy Danse sacrée et danse profane
- Brahms Symfonie nr. 1
RO NOW is here to brighten your weekend!
Treat yourself to top musical pieces that will stimulate your ears, starting with a clarifying introduction by the conductor which the orchestra illustrates with various examples to help you feel and experience the music more profoundly during the performance. In this edition: Johannes Brahms worked on his Symphony No. 1 for more than twenty years, and managed to escape Beethoven’s shadow by composing a stunning homage to his Ninth.
How do you succeed the greatest master of your age? Brahms did it with care and respect. It is no exaggeration to say that the Symphony No. 1 was forged and reforged again and again, polished and shined until the composer was certain of his work. Brahms’s own signature is unmistakeable: innovative and enthralling, with a wide range of orchestral colours and textures. Brahms used a variety of chords, modulations and counterpoints to imbue the symphony with a rich and subtle sound that holds the occasional unexpected surprise. Principal guest conductor Jun Märkl does justice to the countless nuances, conflicts and resolutions that the composition contains, but before that, harper Mathilde Wauters takes on the contrast-rich Danse sacrée et danse profane by Debussy.