Brahms, Johannes

composer

born: 07.05.1833 in Hamburg

died: 03.04.1897 in Vienna

Since Brahms had finally decided on Vienna as his place of residence and a lifestyle as a freelance composer in 1875, his life was characterized by a fixed annual rhythm. During the concert season, he presented his works to audiences in Vienna and on tour and took care of the premieres and printing of his latest pieces, spending the summer months at a vacation spot to compose.

After spending the summer several times in Pörtschach am Wörthersee or Bad Ischl, he decided on Wiesbaden in 1883 - following a visit to Rudolf von Beckerath, a vintner, wine merchant and violinist, and his wife Laura. The fact that he had previously met the singer Hermine Spies in Krefeld, who lived in Wiesbaden, may have contributed to this decision.

On May 21, he moved into an apartment in Geisbergstraße near Bertha von Dewitz (today Schöne Aussicht 7). Here he had a beautiful view of the city and a good escape route: if uninvited visitors showed up, he could leave the house through the back door in the direction of the Neroberg. He spent a lot of time with the Beckerath family at Adolfsallee 23 and appreciated their wine as well as making music together. His son Willy von Beckerath made several drawings of Brahms.

Brahms traveled with Hermine Spies to the music festival in Koblenz, where they performed his "Alto Rhapsody" together. Perhaps Hermine temporarily made him waver in his decision to live as a bachelor.

In Wiesbaden, he secretly composed his Third Symphony in F major, which was premiered with great success in Vienna on December 2, 1883 under the baton of Hans Richter. The work's contradictory emotional content between passionate rebellion and resigned renunciation is associated with Brahms' relationship with Hermine. On September 28, Brahms witnessed the inauguration of the Niederwald monument. He left Wiesbaden at the beginning of October 1883 and was not tempted to spend another summer there.

He gave several concerts in Wiesbaden: on February 26, 1876, he was the soloist in his first piano concerto with the spa orchestra under Louis Lüstner; in January 1884, he conducted his "Wiesbaden Symphony", as he called it in a letter, twice at the place where it was composed and played his second piano concerto; in addition, he gave a concert in the hall of the Wiesbaden Casino Society with Hermine Spies. The Fourth Symphony followed in November 1885 as a guest performance with the Meiningen Court Orchestra, followed by the Double Concerto in A minor in March 1888.

Hermine Spies visited Brahms at Lake Thun in 1886 and 1888. The Beckeraths sent him Rheingau wine to Vienna, which he drank on the day of his death.