For Johannes Brahms, the symphony was the ultimate test of a composer’s abilities and the most suitable way of creating a legacy. It took him a long time to compose his First Symphony, though, mostly because of the “giant marching behind him.” That giant was Beethoven, whose symphonies intimidated Brahms to a degree that it took him 20 years to compose his own. The result is hisSymphony No. 1 and it’s our Evening Masterwork tonight at 7 on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9.
Evening Masterworks: Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 1 in c Op. 68 for November 29, 2023
![Johannes Brahms](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7b5bbf0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/371x480+0+0/resize/880x1139!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4b%2F6f%2F725acdb946949f2f1b1c5a05bbc1%2Fjohannesbrahms.jpg)