BRAHMS AT THE AGE OF 34
A graceful subsidiary theme is heard in the violins. The second subject, nostalgic in its wistfulness, appears in the violas and ’cellos. A horn solo in the coda evokes the mystery of forest deeps from an old and bardic time.
The second movement (Adagio non troppo, B major, 4-4) is of a profoundly romantic and yet somewhat elusive character. Not a scherzo, but rather the old-time minuet, is hinted at in the third movement (Allegretto grazioso—Quasi Andantino,—G major, 3-4). The engaging melody
is sung immediately by the oboes over chords in the clarinets and bassoons and pizzicato arpeggios in the ’cellos. Each of the two trios that the movement boasts is a variation on this theme. An acute critic has said of the Allegretto: “Like many well-known things, it is not always remembered in its full variety and range, or we should hear less of its being too small for its place in a big symphony.”
The finale (Allegro con spirito, D major, 2-2) is in sonata form. Thematically it is both rich in invention and reminiscent of passages in the earlier movements. A kinship to the finale of Haydn’s last “London” symphony has also been remarked. Of the four movements this Allegretto con spirito is the most vigorous and vivacious, concluding, after pages of Olympian struggle, in a victorious coda of overwhelming brilliance.