Circle City Clarinerd

In an effort to avoid a reputation as the intern who creepily writes about composers' graves, I will refrain from discussing what a transcendent experience I had visiting the resting place of Johannes Brahms at the Zentralfriedhof ("Central Cemetery") in Vienna. I will simply post a picture instead (see left).  In my excitement about the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's performance of Brahms' Third Symphony this weekend, I will however write a bit about the fascinating man that was Johannes Brahms in order to bring his music - which you will hear this weekend at the Hilbert Circle Theatre - to life.

A young Brahms - his intense, brooding gaze in this picture has elicited many a swoon among orchestra girls (including me, I must admit).

Many scholars believe Brahms' anxiety and perfectionist tendencies derived from his fear that he would never compose as well as his predecessor Beethoven, who had changed the classical music world by building a bridge between the Classical and Romantic periods.  Beethoven's Middle and Late period music was characterized by thematic material and profound expression, which was highly innovative for his time. Brahms clearly had big shoes to fill, and many believe that as a result, Brahms took over 15 years to complete his First Symphony.

An older Brahms

In fact, before writing his Third Symphony, Brahms took a six-year break from symphonic writing and told his publisher Fritz Simrock that he was "too old" for creative work. Yet, in the summer of 1883, reportedly inspired by a romantic involvement with 26-year-old contralto Hermine Spiess (who described having a "Johannes passion") as well as a request by German conductor Hans von Bulow to have some of Brahms' music played by the renowned Meiningen Orchestra, Brahms engaged himself in a four-month writing frenzy and completed the Third Symphony. Of course, Brahms soon after began to worry that he would never produce something as good as the Third Symphony (yet he was once again able to cast his self-criticism aside long enough to compose the Fourth Symphony a couple of years later).

Brahms had several other quirky characteristics that have made him a compelling character in music history. He was rumored to be a grumpy man, often taking solitary walks in nature (although other chronicles report him giving penny candy to children on the street). Furthermore, not only did Brahms agonize over living up to Beethoven's legacy, but he was also troubled by the changing face of classical music. He admired and sought to employ the counterpoint - a compositional technique characterized by rigid guidelines and strict harmonic rules and - used by his Baroque and Classical idols. He was concerned that composers such as Wagner were breaking the rules of tonality altogether, but many believed that Brahms secretly admired Wagner's music. Brahms thus had a complex relationship with the music of his time: although he held a profound respect for the rules and techniques of his predecessors, he, as a hallmark composer of the Romantic period, recognized -and perhaps even esteemed - the imminent shift in classical music composition.

Perhaps the area of Brahms' life that most fascinates scholars is his relationship with Clara Schumann, the wife of Romantic composer Robert Schumann. Brahms worked closely with Robert Schumann and quickly became infatuated with Clara. After Robert, whom many scholars hypothesize suffered from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, attempted to commit suicide and was confined to a mental sanitorium, Brahms and Clara grew very close. After Robert's death, Brahms moved into an apartment above the Schumann's house. No one knows for sure if Brahms and Clara were actually lovers, but the topic of their relationship has spurred much interest in the classical music world.

Scholars have long focused on the relationship between Clara, Brahms, and Robert - the most famous love triangle in classical music history

Several movies deal with Clara Schumann's romantic life

I hope this post sheds some light on Brahms as a man as well as a composer. I have played Brahms' Third Symphony twice, once in my youth orchestra and again in my college orchestra. Brahms' Third is one of my favorite symphonies, as it captures both the expressivity that is characteristic of the Romantic period as well as the turmoil of the changing times in which Brahms lived. Whenever I listen to or play this symphony (when I'm not worried about the clarinet solo in the first movement!), I always marvel at how some aspects of the work might serve as hints into the life of the composer. The tension in the symphony - especially in the first and fourth movements - must reflect some of the anxiety Brahms experienced, but I always imagine that the beautiful woodwind opening to the second movement reflects Brahms' inner passionate, loving nature - perhaps experienced by Hermine Spiess and Clara Schumann.

Me and my partner-in-crime Matt by a statue of Brahms in Vienna

Many scholars lament that, due to his perfectionism and insecurities about his role as Beethoven's successor in the classical music world, Brahms only completed four symphonies in his lifetime. This weekend at the Indianpolis Symphony Orchestra, we have the privilege to hear perhaps his most famous symphony - a short work (only 30-40 minutes) rich with bold opening chords, lush woodwind melodies and a stormy conclusion. For the first time since 2006, the ISO will take the stage to perform the seminal Third Symphony of this troubled but captivating composer.