Favorite Moments in a Brahms Symphony

[greg]

a few by symphony:


1) the whole thing. A perfect work of art.
2) same here.
3) same here.
4) same here, minus the 3rd movement, which i never liked

[ChamberNut]

The opening of the 1st Symphony.  It announces Brahms' long awaited arrival in the Symphony Arena! 

[Mark G. Simon]

The opening movements of both the 3rd and the 4th symphonies have what I like to think of as a "Moment of truth" section, just before the recap, where everything falls quiet and the main theme is stated in a very simple form. (that's meas. 112 in the 3rd symphony, marked "un poco sostenuto", and meas. 246 in the 4th symphony).

The one in the 4th symphony is the one that really gets me.

[hornteacher]

The fff return of the brass chorale in the last 20 or so measures of the 1st Symphony.  One of my favorite moments in all symphonic music.

[Bonehelm]

The fff return of the brass chorale in the last 20 or so measures of the 1st Symphony.  One of my favorite moments in all symphonic music.

Same here, it is almost of Brucknerian beauty! 

[Dana]

The fff return of the brass chorale in the last 20 or so measures of the 1st Symphony.  One of my favorite moments in all symphonic music.

      This one is a close second for me - the transition into the coda must be absolutely pulse-pounding, and brings a smile to my face every single time I hear it - So much bubbly enthusiasm is present here, it boils over.

      My all time favorite, though, has got to be the final recapitulation in the opening movement of the 1st symphony, but ONLY when Klemperer does it. Only Klemperer understands this simple concept: the more tympani, the better! This symphony is his most adventurous - even more than the fourth symphony, in my opinion, and is the most outright courageous symphony of the four.

[Joe Barron]

Oh, so many!

The horn call at the beginning of the finale of the First Symphony.
Finale of the Second
Second theme of the last movement of the Third --- dum, da dee da da dum, da dee da da da da da daaaaaa, da da da da da dum ...
Hard to pick one from the Fourth, though, since its such an even work. Let's say the triangle in the third meovement. Whenever I listen to the symphony through headphones, I always think the phone is ringing at that point.

[c#minor]

When the brass comes in to state the main theme in the 3rd symphony 3rd movement. Bliss

[val]

In the First Symphony te Introduction of the First movement, and the coda of the 4th.

In the second the tragic explosion in the middle of the 2nd movement.

In the Fourth, the beginning of the First movement, in fact, all the first movement, and all the 4th.

[Timmyb]

I particularly love the second subject in the 2nd movement of no 4.

[paulb]

i like the last note to the last sym

[Chaszz]

In the last movement of the Third, the final notes are a soft restatement of the main theme of the first movement, thus uniting the symphony across its four movements. I've never heard another composer do anything like this.

[Dana]

      Using a single theme to unify a composition became commonplace around the time of romanticism - it was seen as a way to create a sort of protagonist for the work, and thus make it more heroic. If you like that kind of cyclic unity, check out the following -

Brahms Clarinet Quintet
Vaughan-Williams Symphonies 4 & 5
Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4 & 5
Schoenberg Kammersymphonie Op.9
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique & Harold en Italie
Shostakovich String Quartet No.8
And just about anything by Richard Strauss (although I suppose that that's kind of cheating, since his works are meant to tell a story).

[Bonehelm]

The beginning of the 4th, so lyrical, sorrowful

The 3rd movt of the 3rd, so pessimistic

[greg]

The beginning of the 4th, so lyrical, sorrowful

this is the very first thing that got me interested in his symphonies. The harmonies, chord progressions, and gently floating lines could not be composed by anyone other than him. It's just basically, Brahmsian.

[Michel]

First movement of 4th symphony motif. again and again....

[Bonehelm]

this is the very first thing that got me interested in his symphonies. The harmonies, chord progressions, and gently floating lines could not be composed by anyone other than him. It's just basically, Brahmsian.

Actually Brahms learned that from Beethoven. A gorgeous melody that is built using the simplest harmonic progressions is a specialty of Beethoven, we all know that.

[greg]

Actually Brahms learned that from Beethoven. A gorgeous melody that is built using the simplest harmonic progressions is a specialty of Beethoven, we all know that.

well, ok, but Beethoven doesn't quite have the mysterious chord progressions that Brahms has. That's what I like about him vs. Beethoven.