Johannes Brahms. Symphony no. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

Performed by the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra (BSO) led by Dr. Beverly Everett at its Believe in the Power of Music concert, held at Bemidji High School Auditorium on May 15, 2022.
I. Allegro non troppo (00:00)
II. Andante moderato (14:08)
III. Allegro giocoso (26:18)
IV. Allegro energico e passionate (33:29)
Brahms composed his final symphony when he was fifty-two, an age at which Haydn had not even begun to write his last twenty-nine and greatest symphonies. It is hard to say if Brahms knew this was his last symphony, but the rare combination of sorrow, understanding, melancholy, and resignation in this autumnal piece might indicate the fourth was his summative argument for the vitality and relevance of the symphonic form, which many believed to be on the way out since Beethoven.
The Fourth Symphony was written during the summers of 1884 and 1885 in a tiny Alpine town which lay so high that its spring was late, and Brahms commented that, like his new symphony, "the cherries never ripen here-they are always sour, so don't be afraid if you don't like the taste of the thing." Brahms entrusted the first performance to Hans von Bülow, who described the symphony as “Gigantic, altogether a law unto itself, quite new, steely individuality. Exudes incomparable strength and unparalleled energy from first note to last.” Von Bülow had been the most important champion of Wagner's music but when his wife ran off with Wagner and had a child, von Bülow decided to advocate for Brahms.
(Program notes are from the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra’s 2021-22 concert program, p. 37 and were written by Dr. Patrick Riley.)