With his First Concerto, the young Brahms set his own course in the wake of Beethoven and Schumann and at the same time poured forth his personal emotions in this work of impressive dimensions. Russian pianist, Alexander Melnikov, has chosen an instrument contemporary with the premiere, a magnificent Blüthner piano from 1859, a perfect match for the Basel Symphony Orchestra under its British conductor Ivor Bolton. In addition to Brahms’s Tragic Overture, the program also includes the much rarer overture to Éliza, an opera by Cherubini, a composer whom Brahms greatly admired.
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1, Tragic Overture
