On rare occasions has The Soraya’s Great Hall resounded with Brahms, the Romantic composer often grouped with Bach and Beethoven as the most important composers of two centuries of music, encompassing the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods.
Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 directly alludes to both Bach and Beethoven. Capping the most prolific period of his career, the 1885 masterpiece has been called his greatest. Just weeks before his death of cancer in 1897, Brahms made his final public appearance at a concert of this composition, greeted with multiple prolonged ovations. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is known for its mastery of Brahms, including recordings by notable conductors Georg Solti, James Levine, and Daniel Barenboim. Riccardo Muti, Music Director Emeritus for Life, leads the CSO’s debut at The Soraya.