Brahms’ Tragic Overture: Mysterious and Melancholy
By habit, Johannes Brahms often composed pairs of contrasting works in the same genre. Brahms’ two concert overtures, written during the summer of 1880, follow this pattern of compositional yin and yang. The impetus for the witty and celebratory Academic Festival Overture, a collection of frolicking student songs intricately developed, was an honorary doctorate, awarded to the composer by the University of Breslau. Tragic Overture, Op. 81 formed the companion piece. Describing …