Brahms and Dutilleux

Brahm’s Piano Concerto No. 1 began as a sonata for two pianos, grew into a symphony of four movements, and ended up a piano concerto after several years of intensive work. Many years later, Brahms wrote the Haydn Variations – whose inspiration has turned out not to have been written by Haydn, though the name still remains. Dutilleux’s Symphony No. 1 was his first purely orchestral work, but he still offers colourful and exciting music that is full of life, and skilful use of the different sounds of the orchestra.