Symphony 3 - Brahms (1833-1897)

Allegro non troppo: Adagio non troppo: Allegretto grazioso: Allegro con spirito

Brahms wrote four symphonies. Whenever I hear or perform one of them it becomes pre-eminent on my favourites list. Thus, I now have the pleasure of writing about my current favourite Brahms Symphony, number three. Perturbed by the colossus of Beethoven peering over his shoulder, Brahms struggled to come to terms with writing his first symphony. Thank goodness he was able to overcome his inhibitions or the world would have been the poorer by four great works of art. In May 1883, Brahms, in Cologne to play his new Piano Concerto and conduct his Second Symphony, received an invitation to spend the summer in Wiesbaden. The composer's friend, Ferdinand Schaefer wrote, "Here in this magnificent home, surrounded by the lovely forests of the Taunus Mountains, Brahms spent the whole of the summer working on a new symphony. The master put into the score of this work the essence of his experiences and emotions during his long, solitary walks through the shades of the forest. He must have felt quite happy and content judging from the mood of the first and second movements". Brahms kept his new symphony a secret even from his beloved Clara Schumann until he left Wiesbaden for Vienna in October with the score tucked away in his pocket. The first performance was just two months later in Vienna; proof, if any were needed, of the composer's popularity.

It has been said that Brahms' music is heavy and his orchestration muddy. Here is the New York Musical Courier in 1887, " We find in Brahms' Symphony little to commend to the attention of a music-loving public…the orchestration is, like most of Brahms, of a certain sameness, rather thick and of India-rubber-like stickiness…Brahms evidently lacks the breadth and power of invention eminently necessary for the production of a truly great symphonic work". I remember some years ago working with a highly skilled film-score writer whose art was based almost entirely on clever use of the orchestra. When I showed him the scores of the Brahms' symphonies he was enthralled by the rich sonorities, the layers of texture and homogeneity of sound. My feeling is that it has taken some time for both conductors and orchestras to realise what this inspired music is about and to play it with due sincerity but without unwarranted weight and seriousness.

The outer movements of the Third Symphony are laid out traditionally with contrasting ideas presented, developed and re-iterated. They carry the most weight musically; it is here that one hears the forceful ideas, the surging emotions and the grand gestures. In contrast the amiable music of the inner movements shows the composer at his lyrical best. In particular, the opening of the second movement has a serene repose as the clarinets and bassoons, with affirmatory cadences from the lower strings, make warm and wonderful play on the more subdued resonances of the orchestra.

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