Meny

​It is perhaps a little strange to give Brahms' romantic music the title 'Moderation'. But there is a kind of quiet reservation in his approach to the romantic.

It can be heartfelt, inviting, life-affirming and grand, but never crosses the line. His own life bears witness to this reservation in his relationship with Clara Schumann. It borders on chastity to read about his cautious courtesan, and when his love is no longer reciprocated, his words to her are as follows: “The passions are not natural to men. They are always exceptions or excesses. Those who exceed moderation must consider themselves sick, and seek medical attention for the sake of their lives and their health...The passion must soon disappear, or it must be banished."

With the Viennese classic Mozart, it seems almost the opposite. His own life is violent and outrageous, both in life and teaching. It is not moderation that characterises the life we ​​have come to know. But as a composer there is form, rigor and 100 percent control over form and content. We meet a controlled musical expression that corresponds to his own life, he never crosses the line.