Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer on “Happiness” in music

About the episode

In contrast to his defiant First Symphony, Brahms turned to an overall feeling of cheerfulness for his Symphony No. 2, a subtle work that displays the brilliance of the master composer. With lilting melodies and uplifting harmonies, Brahms’s work will remain with you days after the performance. After a stunning NAC debut in fall 2010, young Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen is back by popular demand, joining the NAC Orchestra for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, a work often referred to as the Elvira Madigan Concerto after its limpid sounds were used in the popular 1967 Swedish film of the same title.