Donald Macleod looks at why Brahms sought solitude and how it came to influence his music.

Brahms was a deeply private man and very guarded about his life, his friends and his feelings. Across this week, Donald goes “Behind Closed Doors” with Brahms to discover what really made him tick. He finds friends, mentors and lovers along the way who together help solve the enigma of the composer.

Throughout his life, there was a great expectation placed on Brahms’s shoulders. Today we look at how that shaped his character and music.

Serenade No 1 in D major, Op 11 (2nd movement)
Gewandhausorchester
Riccardo Chailly, conductor

Piano Sonata No 2 in F sharp minor, Op 2 (4th movement)
Martin Jones, piano

Vier ernste Gesänge, Op 121 (Nos 3 and 4)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone
Daniel Barenboim, Piano

Ein Deutsches Requiem [A German Requiem], Op 45 (2nd and 3rd movements))
Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor

Producer: Glyn Tansley for BBC Wales Show less