Brahms’ string concertos are both connected with the musicians for whom the works were written. He wrote the Violin Concerto for Joseph Joachim and in it Brahms combined what a contemporary critic termed ‘the great and serious’ with songful lyricism, melodic beauty, and a fiery Hungarian finale.
To repair a relationship issue with Joachim, Brahms later composed a concerto with the unusual combination of violin and cello. The Cello part was played at the premiere by Joachim’s colleague Robert Hausmann. Neither instrument dominates in this work of reconciliation that perfectly features both drama and reflection.
Here is the opening of Brahms’ Double Concerto from this recording:
