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First rehearsal thoughts

I have played some orchestra Brahms before (I did no. 4 with one of my other groups last summer), which was good fun.
This time we are playing Serenade no. 1 and the violin concerto. Both of these I had listened to a lot, both recreationally and in preparation for this next concert in much. I just wasn't expected it to be as difficult as it was - I am not sure if this is a technical failing on my part (at least for the moment) or some of the choices our conductor took (this is not a criticism, it was just unexpected and he is new to us).
The other piece, which is Beethoven's Egmont Overture, which I thought wouldn't be too bad having had a look at the part online, was also really hard lmao.
I'm sure they will come together for me as we edge closer to concert day in March. I have managed a lot more with this group than I thought possible when I first started with them about a year ago.

Replies (4)

Richard Pairaudeau

January 24, 2026, 3:20 AM · Brahms IS pretty demanding!

Steve Jones

Edited: January 24, 2026, 3:51 AM · I couldn't say about the early serenade but one of the many things I love about Brahms's symphonies is that every note counts and there's no harmonic "filler" as you get with pretty much all previous composers. On Thursday we spent 2+ hours on the second symphony which I first (and last?) played in 1965. Astonishingly I feel as if it's still in my fingers, certainly my brain.

Valentin Amrhein

Edited: January 24, 2026, 4:06 AM · I agree about "every note counts" in the later works of Brahms – just not with the first serenade. I found the serenade technically more difficult than all of the symphonies and, honestly, much less satisfying. But of course the violin concerto is one of the best Brahms symphonies, so I’m sure the concerts will be fun!

Jake Watson

January 24, 2026, 5:16 AM · Valentin, I'm glad it isn't just me that found that!
The concerto was trickier than I expected, but at least I know how it goes!