Tragic Overture (Brahms)

This article is about the overture by Brahms. For the overture by Dvořák, see Tragic Overture (Dvořák).

The Tragic Overture (‹See Tfd›German: Tragische Ouvertüre), Op. 81, is a concert overture for orchestra written by Johannes Brahms during the summer of 1880. It premiered, under Hans Richter, on 26 December 1880 in Vienna.[1] Most performances last between twelve and fifteen minutes.

Brahms chose the title "tragic" to emphasize the turbulent, tormented character of the piece, in essence a free-standing symphonic movement, in contrast to the mirthful ebullience of a companion piece he wrote the same year, the Academic Festival Overture. Despite its name, the Tragic Overture does not follow any specific dramatic program. Brahms summed up the effective difference in character between the two overtures when he declared "one is laughing, the other crying."[2]

  1. ^ Clive, Peter (October 2, 2006). Brahms and His World: A Biographical Dictionary. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461722809 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Neunzig, Hans A. (1997). Brahms. Translated by Mitchell, Mike. London: Haus Publishing. p. 160. ISBN 1-904341-17-9.