When Shostakovich’s final symphony was premiered in 1972, many thought they were witnessing the end of the great symphonic tradition; they weren’t, but the Symphony represents some sense of parting in its happy inclusion of all manner of themes taken from earlier works. Brahms desperately wanted to write a symphony, but his first attempt changed into a Piano Concerto and, as such, has enriched the genre with a work of rare grandeur and eloquence.
