Johannes Brahms's two concertos for strings are performed by violinist Tianwa Yang, cellist Gabriel Schwabe, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and conductor Antoni Wit. The Violin Concerto, premiered in 1878 by Brahms's close friend Joseph Joachim, is a work of lyricism and beauty. The Double Concerto of 1887, in which violin and cello play equal roles, is a tribute to his friendship with Joachim, with whom he had fallen out.
Featuring
Antoni Wit
Tianwa Yang
Gabriel Schwabe
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Johannes Brahms
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Composition History
Brahms originally planned four movements for his Violin Concerto, but replaced the two middle movements with the present Adagio, which he described as "feeble" but pleased the soloist Joseph Joachim and audiences.
Performer Biography
Gabriel Schwabe, the cellist on this recording, is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, including the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann and the Concours Rostropovich.
Composition History
The Double Concerto for violin and cello was written by Brahms in 1887, partly as a gesture to mend a breach with the violinist Joseph Joachim, whom he had known for 34 years.
Composer Biography
Brahms settled in Vienna in 1872 after failing to gain recognition in his native Hamburg, becoming known for his tactlessness but championed as a composer of pure music.
Composer Biography
Johannes Brahms, born in Hamburg in 1833, was the son of a double bass player and a woman 17 years his father's senior who kept a small haberdashery shop.
Performer Biography
Antoni Wit, the conductor, is a highly regarded Polish conductor and a champion of Polish music, having won a GRAMMY® Award in 2012 and the French Légion d'honneur in 2015.
Performer Biography
Tianwa Yang, the violinist on this recording, won the ECHO KLASSIK Instrumentalist of the Year (Violin) 2015 Award and performs on a Guarneri del Gesù violin (1730).
