Mendelssohn
Mozart
Brahms

The first of the concert, on March 23rd at the Good Shepherd Church, beginning with an introduction by the world famous Brahms scholar, Michael Musgrave, will take its inspiration from the concert, October 25th, 1885 of the Meiningen Court Orchestra where Brahms conducted the world premiere of his 4th Symphony, op.98. As in the Meiningen concert, we will begin with the Mendelssohn Overture to the Legend of the Beautiful Melusine, op. 32.  The Mozart Basset Clarinet Concerto, Kv 622 will follow, and, after intermission, the Brahms 4th Symphony will end the concert, with, as Brahms insisted for the premiere, a much smaller number of strings to give more weight to the winds. What will be most special about the performance and may change the entire nature of the symphony, though, will be the inclusion of the haunting 4 bar introduction, which Brahms thought to add, but was convinced not to. I hazard to say, this may be the first world premiere of a Brahms symphony, since 1885.

-Charles Neidich