Overview

Notoriously wracked by self-doubt, Brahms took fifteen years to write his first Symphony. After it met with overwhelming success, he composed his second in less than a year. The Second Symphony is the most overtly optimistic of all of Brahms’ symphonies, full of warmth and the pastoral charm of the quiet lakeside town where he crafted it. Here, it is paired with Haydn’s nimble Trumpet Concerto, performed by Principal Trumpet Rachel Duncan, and Ricercar, a work by up-and-coming American composer Nathan Shields.