Brahms: Symphony No. 1, Variations on a Theme By Haydn

Featuring

Iván Fischer
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Johannes Brahms

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Performer Biography

Iván Fischer, co-founder and Music Director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, has created a vibrant orchestra with an enviable international touring profile.

Performer Biography

Iván Fischer has developed new types of concerts, including 'cocoa-concerts' for children, 'surprise' concerts with unannounced programs, and 'one forint concerts' where he talks to the audience.

Composition History

Johannes Brahms took many years to develop the ideas for his First Symphony, unlike his Second Symphony which took only a summer to compose.

Composer Biography

Brahms acquired a lifelong passion for 'Gypsy music' after hearing it as a young café pianist in Hamburg, a fascination further fueled by violinist Eduard Reményi.

Critical Reception

The conductor Hans von Bülow called Brahms's First Symphony 'Beethoven's Tenth', which was one of the greatest compliments Brahms received.

Composition History

Brahms struggled with his First Symphony for fourteen years, and Clara Schumann, a close friend, provided critical feedback on an early version in 1862.