Brahms became acquainted with Hungarian Gypsy music via Ede Reményi, and in particular the csárdás, which inspired the 21 dances Brahms referred to as arrangements. The works were an immediate success, but it was in their orchestral arrangements that they really became known. Only three of these were arranged by Brahms, such as the Hungarian Dance No 10 that will open the concert. The fast movement known as Presto is like a mere musical flash. The Hungarian Dance No. 7 to follow the interval is slightly more measured, playful, and contrasting in tempo. The main stylistic features of both dances are the contrasts and sharp accents.
"I have written a tiny piano concerto with a tiny and charming scherzo,” Brahms wrote of one of the most monumental works of his oeuvre. He started composing the concerto in 1878 and finished it three years later. The world premiere was held in Budapest and conducted by Sándor Erkel with the composer as soloist.
One of the reasons Brahms set aside the first drafts of the piano concerto was to write his Symphony No. 2 in a single summer. The tranquility of the beautiful Wörthersee, the setting in which he composed the work, is echoed in the music, where the pastoral mood prevails in contrast to the pains of Symphony No. 1.


Presented by: Budapest Festival Orchestra