Pieces I Freaking Hate: Brahms Symphony No. 2

Pieces I Freaking Hate Pt 1: Brahms Symphony No. 2

I’ve been listening to classical music for almost 10 years, developing a personal taste along with it. As classical music has fallen victim to “wokeism,” music lovers are now being pressured to open their minds to minority composers from past and present. I don’t remember the last time I went to a concert without having to endure an opening diversity quota piece which supposedly represents the chaos of today’s world. We listen to a 10 minute long mismash of sound effects, then we get to the standard repertoire that everyone came to hear. Honestly, the industry should instead be focusing more on making private lessons accessible to the middle and lower classes if they truly want to serve the less fortunate, but what do I know? Don’t get me wrong: discovering new music is great. That’s precisely why I’m starting this series. However, so many classical music lovers haven’t even heard - or fully delved into - the established masterpieces that already exist. Here is a list of pieces that, over a decade, I still haven’t found the chance to appreciate:

• Basically all of Haydn

• Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas

• Robert Schumann’s symphonies

• Shostakovich’s orchestral works

• The Rite of Spring

• Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique

• Many, many more

I am reviving this blog as part of my grueling journey in overcoming Pure-O, a dehumanizing form of OCD that I wouldn't even wish upon Klaus Schwab and his corrupt World Economic Forum. One of my series is - you guessed it - Pieces that I Freaking Hate! My goal is to give these pieces a fair chance. As such, I consult David Hurwitz’s vast library of videos detailing decent recordings of almost any piece you can think of. I then walk around a scenic lake while listening to the work start-to-finish. Today, I chose Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 performed by Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic.

I’ll admit to having a bias against Brahms. I am a staunch Brucknerian. My favorite symphony - perhaps my favorite work - of all time is Bruckner’s 7th. My temporary favorite symphony is Bruckner’s 9th. It should come as no surprise that I listen to Brahms with the secret intent of proving that he wrote exactly what he accused Bruckner of writing: “symphonic boa constrictors.”

I am the branch, the snake is Brahms’ 4th symphony.

While I’ve never been a fan of Brahms’ symphonies and his supporters’ (ahem, Hanslick…) conspiracy to shatter Anton Bruckner’s dreams, I’ve always adored his chamber music. The Piano Quintet makes me fantasize about performing chamber music with a group of spirited musicians, contradicting my normal contentment with being a music lover who occasionally plays the violin. The slow movement from his Violin Sonata in D Minor invokes the image of walking along a poppy-laden path and coming upon a secluded garden containing the elixir of life. Brahms is bold, raw, mysterious, intimate, and frenetic in his chamber music: something he fails to achieve in his symphonies. I appreciate Brahms’ signature gypsy-inspired writing, subtle motivic weaving, dense counterpoint, and unexpected modulations. I wonder why I fail to recognize the same thing in his 4 symphonies: some of the most programmed works in today's concert hall.

I always assumed Brahms’ 2nd symphony to be 40 minutes of stagnant, pastoral woodwind writing just like the slow movement of the 3rd. I’m not sure where I got that idea from. Maybe I listened to a couple of seconds from the opening and assumed the entire symphony would follow suit? The symphony begins with a modest D Major chorale from the woodwinds and celli, marked piano. After an attempt at being mysterious, a more flowing variation on the chorale erupts into a brief mini-climax. It is after a transition where we begin to hear what is perhaps the most interesting part of the entire symphony: Brahms’ reference to his famed lullaby. The lullaby’s soft, nostalgic yearning made the 20 minute long first movement palatable. Something that stood out to me was how Brahms balances the conflict between a lengthy first movement and 3 briefer moments to follow. He ends the first 3 movements exactly how they start: quiet and inconsequential. Had he ended any of these movements with an energetic bang, the brief and festive finale would surely leave the listeners unsatisfied. The second movement is written in B major, a key perfectly suited to its light and airy nature. It delves into some darker modulatory swellings, which immediately shattered my notion that this would be a stagnant work. The scherzo was a charming little intermezzo that relieves the tension caused by its predecessors. The opening reminded me of ducks swimming in a little pond; the following music almost invokes a Tchaikovsky ballet. It leads into a festive finale with signature Brahmsian dotted rhythmic motifs and modulation within the phrase. He succeeds making up for the relative lack of energy in this symphony in a mere 10 minutes, and I was satisfied upon hearing the grand D major cadence. I even gave a silent applause as I was walking. This symphony entertained me more than I thought it would, but is still a Brahms symphony. It contained his unbearable writing for the first violin sections, where they screech out a melody in the upper registers for the sake of emphasis. The violin is my favorite instrument, but it can do more than just play high notes and sound pretty. Having written a badass Violin Concerto, Brahms certainly knows this. It would be interesting to ponder Brahms’ intent for the symphony, for this is one of many examples I heard while listening when Brahms just doesn’t display what he’s capable of achieving as a composer. I have no idea why people praise this symphony for being lyrical or even hummable because I can find more hummable melodies in Bruckner’s 8th symphony than I can find here. That says a lot. Besides the lovely lullaby, Brahms seems to be more concerned with form and orchestration than writing any catchy tunes.

Despite my initial impression of this work, I can see myself coming back to Brahms’ 2nd Symphony. It certainly doesn’t explore the depth of human emotion like all my favorite works do, but it is a lighthearted piece with just enough heart to make it meaningful. I look forward to discovering more new works to have under my listening belt!