Classical concerts featuring

Gracie Francis

Symphoniker Hamburg / Chamber Concert

While in Lichtental, a suburb of Baden-Baden, Brahms got the inspiration for the first movement of his Horn Trio during a morning walk. He later showed a friend where the nature sounds sparked this inspiration. Brahms learned to play the horn as a child, and it features prominently in his music, particularly his symphonies, and his mother loved his horn playing. The Horn Trio's Adagio movement, written shortly after his mother's death, is thought to reflect this event. Brahms composed Serenades Op. 11 and 16 while working as a piano teacher in Detmold, during which he also studied Haydn and Mozart. He had initially intended to write a lighter piece, but his evolving symphonic ideas led to richer instrumentation and broader development, as detailed by Max Kalbeck.