Johannes Brahms's career began playing piano in the harbor brothels of Hamburg, where his father played double bass.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in February 2012 at the Palace of Arts, Budapest, using Bruel & Kjaer 4006 and Schoeps microphones.
Performer Biography
Iván Fischer, the conductor, is the founder and Music Director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, a partnership that has achieved significant success in classical music over 25 years.
Composition History
Brahms completed his Second Symphony in a record tempo for him, finishing it in his summerhouse in Pörtschach by autumn 1877, after the arduous process of his First Symphony.
Performer Biography
Iván Fischer has introduced innovative concert types, including 'cocoa-concerts' for children, 'surprise' concerts with unannounced programs, and 'one forint concerts' where he speaks to the audience.
Composer Biography
The conductor Hans von Bülow famously called Brahms's First Symphony 'Beethoven's Tenth,' a significant compliment.
Compositional Technique
Brahms's Second Symphony demonstrates his masterful skill in developing large-scale architecture from simple motifs, with the first motif given to the horns.
