Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegro appassionato
III. Andante
IV. Allegretto grazioso – Un poco più presto

Dvořák
Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70
I. Allegro maestoso
II. Poco adagio
III. Scherzo. Vivace – Poco meno mosso
IV. Finale. Allegro

Featuring:

Daniil Trifonov – piano
Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome

Conductor:

Daniel Harding

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) stands out as one of the defining figures of the middle generation of German Romanticism, following in the footsteps of Schumann and Mendelssohn, while Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) created the greatest body of work in late Czech Romanticism. Both were discovered and discoverers: the 20-year-old Brahms’s extraordinary talent was first brought to the world’s attention by his older colleague Robert Schumann in his famous 1853 article Neue Bahnen (New Paths). In 1874, Brahms in turn drew the attention of his publisher Fritz Simrock to the 33-year-old Dvořák’s music. Dvořák himself later became a supporter of younger composers such as Josef Suk and Leoš Janáček.

Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major received its world premiere in Budapest on 9 November 1881, with the composer himself as soloist. This four-movement work blends the characteristics of a symphony with those of a concerto: partly through its departure from the conventional three-movement concerto model in favour of a four-movement structure (placing an impassioned scherzo before the slow movement), and partly through the equal partnership of piano and orchestra, which replaces the traditional hierarchy of “soloist” and “accompaniment”.

Let us immerse ourselves in the flow of Brahms’s music:

Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 in D minor was completed in March 1885 and received its triumphant world premiere under the baton of the composer himself in London that April. The four-movement work speaks in the mature voice of Dvořák, yet Brahms’s influence is clearly audible. The opening movement is not lacking in Slavic tenderness and the passions of the Poco adagio culminate in its central section. The most popular movement is the scherzo, in which a waltz is concealed. The finale disarms the listener with its energy, passion and the triumphant, expansive symphonic sound that crowns the work.

Epic ending:

The Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia was founded in Rome in 1908. Its principal conductors have included Igor Markevitch, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Daniele Gatti, Myung-Whun Chung and Antonio Pappano. Since 2024, the orchestra has been led by Daniel Harding. The British conductor learned his craft under mentors such as Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado and has held positions in Trondheim and Bremen, as well as serving as music director of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris, among others. The Russian-born, New York-based pianist Daniil Trifonov is a winner of several major international competitions and ranks as one of the most important pianists of our time. Critics praise the virtuosity and profound depth of his playing in equal measure.

Daniel Harding – conductor and pilot – on tour with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia: