After 20 years of careful on-and-off deliberation, Brahms finished his First Symphony — a rigorous, meticulously crafted and intensely original score. Learn more before the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs it in concerts December 19-21, led by Lahav Shani. Find tickets → cso.org/ps/24528 | Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Johannes Brahms completed his Second Symphony during the summer he spent at the Austrian lake resort of Pörtschach in 1877. It must have been an inspiring location: “the melodies fly so thick here that you have to be careful not to step on one,” wrote Brahms. The composer’s contemporaries were quick to perceive the new symphony as a reflection of the pleasant surroundings in which it was written. This weekend, your SLSO and guest conductor Cristian Măcelaru join forces for performances of Brahms