Overture Magazine 2013-2014 September-October 2013 | Page 38

Ch r is Lee { Program Notes Inspiring the best in every boy. OPEN HOUSE October 20 at 11am Grades K–12, Parents & Students THE BOYS’ LATIN SCHOOL OF MARYLAND 822 West Lake Avenue Baltimore, MD 21210 www.boyslatinmd.com 36 O v ertur e | www. bsomusic .org The BSO maximum possibilities from every motive and theme, even bringing them back in new guises in later movements. This sturdy intellectual foundation is overlaid with some of his loveliest melodies, clothed in exquisite orchestral colors. But it is easier for conductors and orchestras to dazzle audiences with the other symphonies than with this subtle creation, all four of whose movements end quietly. The first movement opens with three rising chords that spell out F-A (flat)-F, a personal motto for Brahms that pervades much of the symphony. Years earlier, Brahms and his close friend, violinist Joseph Joachim, had experimented with musical mottos symbolizing their bachelor status. Joachim’s was F-A-E for “Frei aber einsam” 8