Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin & Beatrice Rana at Paris Philharmonic

From the sumptuous Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by one of the most prominent pianists of her generation, to the joyful Symphony No. 2, under the enthusiastic baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, this concert explores two facets of Brahms, an emblematic figure of Romanticism. Brahms announced the birth of his Second Piano Concerto 22 years after his first, describing it as a "very small concerto with a charming little scherzo," though it is a monumental work of around fifty minutes. In contrast, the Symphony No. 2 was one of his greatest successes, composed in the idyllic setting of a Carinthian lake where, as the musician wrote, "melodies are born in such numbers that one must be careful not to crush them while walking."