{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Brahms Double Concerto","description":"It\u2019s entirely possible that we would not know the name of Johannes Brahms very well if Brahms hadn\u2019t met Joseph Joachim as a very young man. Joachim, who was one of the greatest violinists of all time, had already established himself as touring soloist and recitalist, and he happened to know the musical power couple of Robert and Clara Schumann quite well. Joachim encouraged Brahms to go to Dusseldorf to meet the Schumann\u2019s, and the rest is history. I\u2019ve talked about the Brahms-Schumann relationship dozens of times on the show before, but to keep it very brief, Robert Schumann\u2019s rhapsodic article Neue Bahnen(new paths) launched Brahms\u2019 career, and until Schumann\u2019s deterioration from mental illness he acted as a valued friend and mentor for Brahms. Clara Schumann, as a performer, was a powerful advocate for Brahms\u2019 music as well as a devoted and loving friend throughout the rest of their lives. Almost constantly present in this relationship was the sound of Joseph Joachim\u2019s violin. Brahms did not have a huge circle of friends, but for the often difficult to get along with composer, Joachim was a musical and spiritual companion. Brahms\u2019 legendary violin concerto was written for him, and the two collaborated closely for the entire course of their musical lives, except for one significant break. Brahms and Joachim were estranged for 7 years, until Brahms reached out with a remarkable conciliatory gesture: a concerto for Violin and Cello and that would be dedicated to Joachim. Brahms and Joachim(as well as Brahms and Clara Schumann) had often resolved disputes through music, and this was no exception. Clara Schumann gleefully wrote in her diary after Joachim had read through the piece with cellist Robert Hausmann: "This concerto is a work of reconciliation - Joachim and Brahms have spoken to each other again for the first time in years.\u201d One would expect that a work like this would be beloved, but the Double Concerto has had a checkered history, which we\u2019ll also get into later. Clara herself wrote that it lacked "the warmth and freshness which are so often found to be in his works,\u201d It would turn out to be Brahms\u2019 last work for orchestra, and one of the few in his later style, which makes It fascinating to look at from a compositional perspective. Partly because of the cool reception it got in its first few performances, and the practical challenges of finding two spectacular soloists who can meet its challenges, the piece is not performed all that often, though I have always adored this piece and am very grateful to Avi who sponsored this week\u2019s show from my fundraiser last year before the US election. So let\u2019s dive into this gorgeous concerto, discussing the reasons for Joachim and Brahms\u2019 break, their reconciliation, the reception this piece got, and then of course, the music itself! Join us! ","author_name":"Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/stickynotespodcast.libsyn.com\/","html":"