In 130 years, there have been thousands of concerts at Carnegie Hall that feature symphonies by hundreds of composers. Of course, there are some that are perennial favorites, treasured by artists and audiences alike. But which have been performed most frequently at the Hall? Our team in the Carnegie Hall Rose Archives have the answers. Some of what they found might be surprising鈥攆or instance that the top five spots are held by just two composers: Brahms and Beethoven.
No. 1: Brahms鈥檚 First
Johannes Brahms didn鈥檛 complete his Symphony No. 1 until he was 43 years old. He began sketches in 1854, but that work was eventually reshaped into the Piano Concerto No. 1. Brahms had already composed orchestral works but hesitated to take the next big step. Why? Brahms wrote, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 have any idea what it鈥檚 like to hear such a giant marching behind you.鈥�
The giant was Beethoven, and the weight of his symphonic legacy was not easy to confront. Brahms鈥檚 symphony has been called 鈥淏eethoven鈥檚 Tenth,鈥� an allusion to Brahms carrying on the tradition of his predecessor. A case could be made that his use of a hymn-like theme in the finale recalls Beethoven鈥檚 Symphony No. 9, but Brahms鈥檚 symphony is not derivative. Its grand scale, heroic tone, and passion are quintessentially his own. Walter Damrosch and the New York Symphony Orchestra gave the Carnegie Hall premiere of the symphony on November 10, 1893. It has been performed at the Hall a total of 356 times.
No. 2: Beethoven鈥檚 Fifth
The four opening notes of Ludwig van Beethoven鈥檚 symphony, which the composer likened to fate knocking at the door, are arguably the most famous in all of music. They have certainly taken on a life of their own in popular culture. During World War II, the BBC and RKO Pictures played the motif at the start of their films, the Morse code equivalent to V for victory.
Its premiere at the Theater an der Wein on December 22, 1808, was a massive concert that included Beethoven鈥檚 鈥淧astoral鈥� Symphony, Choral Fantasy, Piano Concerto No. 4, movements from the Mass in C Major, and the concert aria 鈥淎h! perfido.鈥� If that wasn鈥檛 enough, Beethoven also improvised at the piano.
It鈥檚 not surprising that Beethoven鈥檚 Symphony No. 5 remains so popular with audiences and artists. Intense and highly dramatic, the composer takes the listener on a journey that culminates in one of music鈥檚 most triumphant finales.
The symphony鈥檚 Carnegie Hall premiere took place on May 9, 1891, during the Opening Week Music Festival. Damrosch and the New York Symphony Orchestra performed the work on a program that included music by Damrosch, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky, who was on also hand to conduct his Piano Concerto No. 1. It has now reached 328 performances at the Hall (before this year鈥檚 performance on Opening Night).
No. 3: Beethoven鈥檚 Seventh
Some say Beethoven鈥檚 symphonies that are even-numbered are gentle in tone, while the odd-numbered compositions are tumultuous. That may or may not be totally true, but the Symphony No. 7鈥攑erhaps more than any of his nine鈥攃ertainly sets pulses racing. From its opening notes to its propulsive finale led by boisterous horns, the symphony rarely stops to catch its breath. Wagner called it 鈥渢he apotheosis of the dance.鈥�
Beethoven conducted the premiere at the University of Vienna in 1813 in one of the most successful but odd concerts of his career. Paired with the symphony was his Wellington鈥檚 Victory, a work celebrating the great victory over Napoleon. It was played on the panharmonicon, a mechanical organ that imitated military band instruments and gunfire. It was a tremendous hit鈥攐ne Viennese critic referred to it as a companion piece to the symphony. Beethoven was not happy.
The symphony鈥檚 November 13, 1891, Carnegie Hall premiere saw Damrosch on the podium leading the New York Symphony Orchestra in a program that included music by Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Brahms. The work has since received 300 additional performances at the Hall.
No. 4: Brahms鈥檚 Second
鈥淚t is all rippling streams, blue sky, sunshine, and cool green shadows,鈥� wrote Brahms鈥檚 friend Theodor Billroth after playing through the score of the newly composed Symphony No. 2. While it took Brahms decades to complete his first symphony, his second was written over the course of a relaxing summer holiday. The symphony was premiered on December 30, 1877, by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Hans Richter. It was a colossal success, with the audience calling for a repeat of the third movement.
If Brahms is (unfairly) viewed as a cold, unemotional composer (Tchaikovsky鈥檚 criticism), this symphony refutes it with a smile on its face. The most genial of his four symphonies, its melodies flow like those rippling streams Billroth mentioned. Perfectly crafted and exquisitely scored鈥攖he wind and brass writing is sublime, especially when the cascading trombones sing out in the finale鈥攖he symphony glows with good spirit. Carnegie Hall audiences first heard it on February 3, 1893, with the ubiquitous Damrosch and the New York Symphony Orchestra performing. It has received a total of 291 performances at the Hall.
No. 5: Brahms鈥檚 Fourth
Brahms鈥檚 final symphony weds his mastery of traditional musical forms to a wide range of emotions. While an autumnal quality floats through the work, there are also moments of jubilation, all taking flight in gorgeous melodies. An orchestral staple, the symphony was not initially well received in Brahms鈥檚 circle of friends. Music critic Eduard Hanslick (who was mercilessly lampooned in Wagner鈥檚 Die Meistersinger von N眉rnberg) remarked after hearing it in a two-piano run-through, 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e just been beaten up by two terribly intelligent people.鈥�
Time and countless audiences have proven Hanslick wrong. The symphony has an emotional intensity that never releases its grip and leads the listener on a path to one of the most remarkable finales of any symphony: an epic passacaglia (variations over a repeating bass theme) on a J. S. Bach theme, building to a cathartic climax. Carnegie Hall audiences first took the journey on February 8, 1895, with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Anton Seidl. The symphony has been performed at the Hall 289 times to date.
