Here's something you might be interested in.
With Beethoven's Ninth behind us at the San Diego Symphony, what's next?
Brahms's First Symphony at the La Jolla Symphony. Granted, the Brahms isn't until February, but it's a happy coincidence.
Brahms worked on his First Symphony for at least 14 years. Both the public and his friends were expecting him to produce a work that continued from where Beethoven had stopped with The Ninth.
No pressure, Brahms, we all just expect you to write a piece of music that expands upon the greatest symphony ever written. What's the hold-up? Chop-chop.
What's the hold-up? As Brahms said, "A symphony is no joke."
Brahms knew his first attempt at a symphony would be crucified if it failed to live up to the hype.
What hype?
There were two schools of German romanticism: the Leipzig school of Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms and the Weimar school of Liszt, Wagner, Bruckner, and Mahler. Of these two schools, each had a champion vying for the title of Beethoven's heir.
The Leipzig champion was Brahms, the Weimar champion was Wagner. Brahms was conservative, Wagner progressive.
This was a legitimate war, with the Leipzig school writing a manifesto defining their approach to music post-Beethoven. They saw Beethoven as the end-all-be-all of music.
Wagner's Die Meistersinger directly addresses the battle with a hero who sings new music that the conservative Master Singers oppose. The Weimar school saw Beethoven as a launching pad for "the new music".
In Meistersinger, the character Beckmesser is thought, by some, to be based on Eduard Hanslick. Hanslick was Brahms' champion and a critic of new music. In one scene, the townspeople laugh and ridicule Beckmesser's singing, aka his musical ability.
The stakes were high for Brahms' First Symphony. If it failed, it wasn't only a personal failure as a composer but a failure for an entire school of musical thought.
Did he succeed? Go to the La Jolla Symphony concert and judge for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkgiwJTXHlE
With Beethoven's Ninth behind us at the San Diego Symphony, what's next?
Brahms's First Symphony at the La Jolla Symphony. Granted, the Brahms isn't until February, but it's a happy coincidence.
Brahms worked on his First Symphony for at least 14 years. Both the public and his friends were expecting him to produce a work that continued from where Beethoven had stopped with The Ninth.
No pressure, Brahms, we all just expect you to write a piece of music that expands upon the greatest symphony ever written. What's the hold-up? Chop-chop.
What's the hold-up? As Brahms said, "A symphony is no joke."
Brahms knew his first attempt at a symphony would be crucified if it failed to live up to the hype.
What hype?
There were two schools of German romanticism: the Leipzig school of Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms and the Weimar school of Liszt, Wagner, Bruckner, and Mahler. Of these two schools, each had a champion vying for the title of Beethoven's heir.
The Leipzig champion was Brahms, the Weimar champion was Wagner. Brahms was conservative, Wagner progressive.
This was a legitimate war, with the Leipzig school writing a manifesto defining their approach to music post-Beethoven. They saw Beethoven as the end-all-be-all of music.
Wagner's Die Meistersinger directly addresses the battle with a hero who sings new music that the conservative Master Singers oppose. The Weimar school saw Beethoven as a launching pad for "the new music".
In Meistersinger, the character Beckmesser is thought, by some, to be based on Eduard Hanslick. Hanslick was Brahms' champion and a critic of new music. In one scene, the townspeople laugh and ridicule Beckmesser's singing, aka his musical ability.
The stakes were high for Brahms' First Symphony. If it failed, it wasn't only a personal failure as a composer but a failure for an entire school of musical thought.
Did he succeed? Go to the La Jolla Symphony concert and judge for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkgiwJTXHlE