Melbourne Conservatorium of Music: Brahms Symphony No.4

Join the The University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for Brahms Symphony No.4.

The University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s second concert of 2026 culminates in Symphony No. 4 in E minor by Johannes Brahms. Completed in 1885, this profoundly introspective work blends Classical discipline with Romantic intensity. Its final movement—a passacaglia inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach—unfolds with inexorable force. Chaconne variations plead, rage, and resist, while a chorale drawn from Bach’s Cantata No. 150 lends gravity and resolve. Mortality weighed heavily on Brahms during its composition, and a sense of fatalism permeates the closing pages. If not redemption, the symphony’s final minor chord suggests something equally human: acceptance.

Before the interval, pianist Konstantin Shamray will perform Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor by Frédéric Chopin. Written in 1830, the concerto is lyrical and elegant, allowing the piano’s expressive voice to shine, supported by a delicately balanced orchestral texture.

The concert will open with Introduction and Allegro by Edward Elgar. Inspired by distant singing heard on a Welsh cliffside, the work grew from a simple falling third into a virtuosic showpiece for strings. Its noble introduction leads into a vibrant Allegro, rich in interplay and colour, with the “Welsh” melody at its heart.

The University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Richard Davis conductor
Konstantin Shamray piano soloist

Edward Elgar Introduction and Allegro

Frédéric Chopin  Piano Concerto No.1 in E Minor, Op.11
Konstantin Sharay soloist

Johannes Brahms Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98