The second movement, Andante sostenuto, offers reverie and sunlight in a bright yet harmonically distant E major. Fleeting shadows emerge in the middle section but are driven away by the solo violin( a melody heard earlier from the oboe), then subsequently taken up in duet with the horn. The generally amiable third movement, Un poco Allegretto e grazioso, quickly cycles through themes in keys near and far, and here Brahms demonstrates his harmonic ingenuity and deftness for reaching into remote tonal areas while maintaining cohesion of form.
Like the first movement, the finale is propelled by the contrast of extremes: tension and release, steps and leaps, density and spaciousness, keys expected and unexpected. The opening minor-key melody opens in a similar mood to the first movement, but the alpenhorn melody hearkens in major-key material. Thus begins the“ famous, grandly striding tune” in C major, the central motto of the movement and the symphony’ s most memorable theme. When a contemporary likened this melody to the“ Freude” theme in Beethoven’ s Ninth, Brahms agreed, but not politely:“ Any jackass can see that!”
Instrumentation: Two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings.
JACOB JAHIEL is a writer, violist da gamba, and arts administrator. His writing appears frequently in Early Music America’ s EMAg, and he contributes program notes to the Boston Artists Ensemble and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, where he also serves on staff.
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