at Queen's Hall, London
(Sole Lessees, Messrs. Chuppell and Co.,Ltd.)
BRAHMS
Clifford Curzon (pianoforte)
The BBC Symphony Orchestra
(ninety Players)
Leader, Paul Beard
Conducted by SIR HENRY J. WOOD
Academic Festival Overture
Brahms in 1880 was made Director of Philosophy at the University of Breslau. It was necessary that he should submit a thesis in the form of a composition, which resulted in the Academic Festival Overture. Brahms thought of the happy idea of basing this work on three well known German students' songs. 'The Father of his Country', the ' Freshman's Song ', and ' Gaudeamus igitur '.
8.14 Pianoforte concerto No. 1, in D minor
1 Maestoso. 2 Adagio. 3 Rondo : Allegro non troppo
(Solo pianoforte, CLIFFORD CURZON )
Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1, in D minor was composed during the years 1853-8. It was his first work of really large dimensions. ' It is in reality', says Kalbeck, ' his first symphony and was also conceived as such. Merely disguised as a sonata for two pianos, it ultimately emerged as a piano concerto, but the latter took the form of a symphony with piano obbligato and, in this form, ushered in a new type of composition..... The grandiose opening of the Concerto-with its rolling drum-held organ points and its sinister leaping principal subject, on which, like a mighty shiver convulsing the whole orchestra, the ensuing jerky trills are grafted-originates in Brahms visualising Schumann's attempt at suicide by throwing himself in the Rhine.'
It is supposed by Kalbeck that the original symphony from which this concerto is mainly derived was intended to represent in terms of music the spiritual story of the Schumann tragedy. It will be remembered that Schumann was one of Brahms's greatest friends.
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