Serenade No. 1 in D major op. 11

The Serenade op. 11 for large orchestra occupies a special position among Johannes Brahm’s early works: It is not only the first purely orchestral work, but indeed the first (published or preserved) work without the participation of a piano.

In contrast to earlier works it bears a clear styltistic relation to the Viennese Classic. The motivic-thematic affinity to the final movement of Haydn’s last symphony is obvious, but also connections to Beethoven’s Secon Symphony can be demonstrated – as, for example, by a comparison of the second scherzo with the trio from Beethoven’s scherzo movement. What makes this work so fascinating is the fact that Brahms did not just copy these models, but instead presented the old-fashioned “serenade” genre with new possibilities through a circumspect expansion of the classical tonal language.

Brahm’s autograph manuscript from 1859 served as the principal source for the present edition. Additionally, the first edition from December 1869 and, in cases of doubt, the orchestral score were consulted. The occasional fingerings are from Brahms.