Symphony No. 2 in D Major

Having struggled for over 20 years to complete his First Symphony, the mere fact that Brahms wrote its successor within a matter of months can only suggest that a great weight must have been lifted from the composer’s shoulders. Indeed, his Symphony No. 2, composed in 1877 and successfully premiered in Vienna at the end of that year, finds Brahms in a comparatively untroubled mood. Admittedly, the ominous trombone chords near the opening and the vehement build-up of energy in the middle section of the first movement remind us that darker shadows lie beneath the surface. But by and large, Brahms’ music in this symphony reflects a sunny and pastoral disposition. A three-note pattern in the cellos and double bass, followed by a gentle melody in the horns at the very beginning of the work, generates much of the thematic material of the expansively conceived first movement. Another distinctive feature is the wonderfully lyrical second idea, richly scored for violas and cellos, its melodic line recalling the composer’s famous “Cradle Song.” The ensuing “Adagio non troppo” movement, opening with an impassioned melody on the cellos, is more unsettling and builds up to a powerful climax near the end. But the soothing dance rhythms of the third movement restore equilibrium, and the finale, containing some of Brahms’ most exhilarating and life-affirming music, brings the work to a triumphant and overwhelmingly optimistic close.