Many years ago, when a young German composer approached the task of writing symphonies, it was impossible to work outside the shadow of Beethoven. Brahms himself summed up the problem by stating, “You will never know how the likes of us feel when we hear the tramp of a giant like Beethoven behind us.”
The Symphony No. 2 in D major is one of the most cheerful of Brahms’ mature works, so much so that it is often called his “Pastoral”, in obvious reference to Beethoven’s symphony with the same name. It was composed during Brahms’ summer holiday in 1877 while living on the shores of a beautiful Austrian lake.
The first performance, on December 30, 1877, was entrusted to the respected Hans Richter and the Vienna Philharmonic. The overwhelmingly positive reception greatly cheered Brahms and marked the beginning of his reputation as a promising symphonist. Of the four symphonies he was to write, it was his personal favorite.
My personal favorite recording of this work is by conductor Carlos Kleiber. Enjoy here:
