concert Gustavo Dudamel conducts Tchaikovsky and Brahms Waldbühne 2014: A Midsummer Night

Dudamel conducts two Tchaikovsky works inspired by Shakespeare: the gorgeous symphonic fantasy The Tempest, and the heart-stopping Romeo and Juliet with its famous love theme. The Russian composer's Shakespearean adaptations lead into Brahms's First Symphony, a work the composer himself described as "long and not exactly lovable," fearing that larger audiences would have difficulty understanding the symphony. But he may have underestimated his audience—despite his fears, the First has become one of the best-loved and most performed orchestral works in history.

Picture: © Holger Kettner