Composer Franz Schubert died in 1828 at age 31. Brahms was born five years after Schubert’s death.
Brahms traveled as a performer, giving concerts as a pianist and also as a partner to violinist Joseph Joachim. While Brahms also led choirs, he prepared meticulously to perfect his craft as a composer.
Brahms’ two serenades gave him the opportunity to work on perfecting his orchestration.
On this recording, we hear Sir John Eliot Gardiner lead the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique in performances of Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major D.485 and Brahms’ Serenade No. 2 in A Major, Op. 16 recorded live in concert at The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
In Serenade No.2 a 20-year-old Brahms chooses to omit violins, creating an unusually dark sound, while the lively style of Schuberts Symphony No.5 seems to reflect the composers youthful exuberance.
I am a strong admirer of Eliot Gardiner, because his conducting style and his interpretations are magical.
Here is Elit Gardiner conducting the Symphony number 5 by Schubert:
