During the summers of 1884 and 1885, Brahms composed his Symphony No. 4, working secretly in a quiet Austrian town in the Alps as was his usual practice. Despite the beautiful surroundings and his widespread success, the work that emerged would be one of the darkest symphonies in the repertoire.
For all its warmth and beauty, Brahms’ Fourth has an undeniably tragic character. Many have speculated as to its source. Perhaps Brahms simply wanted to compose a symphony that would contrast with his previous ones, which all end in major keys.
Though he would live twelve more years, Brahms may have also been contemplating his own mortality as he began his fifth decade of life. In a letter to his publisher, for instance, Brahms gives instructions for what is to be done with the score in case “the most human thing should happen to me” before he could hear his symphony performed only a few months later.
The composer apparently listened to a performance of his Symphony #4 when it was performed in Vienna. He died at his home two weeks later.
Listen now to how wonderfully Carlos Kleiber shows us the detail of this work:
