In the German musical culture of the mid-19th century, two composer positions emerged. Richard Wagner, in his ‘music of the future’, fostered new traditions, while Johannes Brahms perceived the ‘music of the future’ as a utopia and could not accept that the development of pure instrumental music had ended. He preferred the genres and forms of classicism (symphony, concerto, sonata, quartet, quintet).

Brahms took 21 years to write his First Symphony in C minor. The composer spent a number of years refining and improving this score. Among 19th-century composers, Brahms is considered to be the greatest follower of Beethoven, thus this symphony became an expression of the tradition of classical symphonism through Beethoven’s music and the greatness of his personality. Even today, Brahms’s First Symphony is occasionally referred to as ‘Beethoven’s Tenth’. The premiere of the work was a huge success, and critics wrote that the composer “breathed new life into the symphonic genre”.

Brahms’ majestic and monumental score is performed by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the German maestro Christoph Eschenbach, a legend of the baton.