Mendelssohn’s musical postcard of a trip to the remote island of Staffa is more of a tone poem than an overture in the traditional sense. It conjures up a whole seascape including the grandeur of Fingal’s Cave, the swelling of the sea, the light on the water and the fury of the waves breaking on the monumental cliffs.
Despite its popularity, Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto remains refreshingly original with its exciting and altogether exceptional opening and richly forged musical dramas of powerful virtuosity and of uncommon sensitivity.
Brahms finished his Second Symphony directly on the heels of his First, but it would be hard to find two more different works. Occasionally referred to as his ‘Pastoral’ symphony, it is of a much happier and lighter nature, and it was immediately taken to the hearts of Viennese audiences, with its sunny themes and numerous dance-like melodies – gentle and lyrical. In their simple beauty the themes give the impression of having been written down in inspired spontaneity.