Johannes Brahms

(1833-1897)

Symphony No. 2 (Finale) (1877)

The four Brahms Symphonies were written in pairs: Symphony no. 1 (1876) and Symphony no. 2 (1877), and Symphony no. 3 (1883) with Symphony no. 4 (1884-85). This is also true for Beethoven, with his Symphony no. 5 completed in 1808 and the Symphony no. 6 “Pastoral” composed in the same year, and the Symphony no. 7 composed in 1812 as well as the Symphony no. 8 in the same year. Similar to Beethoven, Brahms composed a more “pastoral” symphony after completed his massive Symphony no. 1. Whereas the Symphony no. 1 is brooding and gloomy in many spots, the Symphony no. 2 is characterized more by its tunefulness and exuberance, along with its lush melodies. I offer here the closing movement of the symphony, which has one of the most brilliant endings in the entire symphonic literature.