大象传媒

We travel back to nineteenth-century Germany with conductor Martyn Brabbins this afternoon for two of Brahms鈥檚 works.

Filled with an irrepressible sense of fun, Academic Festival Overture was described by the composer himself as 鈥榓 very boisterous potpourri of student songs鈥� and, despite its title, is deliciously and defiantly 鈥榰n-academic鈥�.

For our second visit, we observe Brahms through the prism of his admirer, Schoenberg, for the Piano Quartet. Schoenberg penned his colourful, orchestral arrangement having noted that the piece was 鈥渁lways very badly played鈥�. 鈥淭he better the pianist鈥� Schoenberg reasoned, 鈥渢he louder he plays, and you hear nothing from the strings. I wanted for once to hear everything, and this I have achieved.鈥�

Also this afternoon we hear Schoenberg鈥檚 rarely performed set of six songs, an intense and powerful cycle of miniatures with a hint of Wagner鈥檚 influence.

This concert is a live broadcast for 大象传媒 Radio 3.