Brahms’ friendships: through thick and thin

Brahms was, you might say, a difficult person to be friends with. Relationships were often intense and frequently put on the rocks when friends and confidants provided him with negative feedback on his compositions, resulting in Brahms lashing out or offering them the silent treatment.

But Brahms’ greatest broken friendship was with Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim.

Brahms first met Joachim in 1853 at the age of 20. Joachim, aged 22, was already famous and so the violinist became a mentor to his less well-established friend. For the next 30 years Brahms’ reputation grew as Joachim took part in premieres of Brahms’ chamber works, conducted Brahms’ music and helped Brahms with orchestrations. The two were close friends and musical collaborators – Joachim is even credited with writing the famous cadenza of Brahms’ 1878 Violin Concerto.

But in 1883, the friendship fell apart. Joachim was in the middle of a messy divorce with his wife Amalie, as he believed Amalie to be cheating on him with Brahms’ music publisher. Brahms’, dismissing Joachim’s suspicions and clearly needing some pointers in how to take sides in a friendship, wrote Amalie a letter sympathetic to the situation:

“With no thought have I ever acknowledged that your husband might be in the right. At this point I perhaps hardly need to say that, even earlier than you did, I became aware of the unfortunate character trait Joachim so inexcusably tortures himself and others…The simplest matter is so exaggerated, so complicated, that one scarcely knows where to begin with it and how to bring it to an end...”

Oof. Once the letter ended up in court during the divorce proceedings, it’s no surprise that the court ruled in Amalie’s favour – and Brahms’ friendship with Joachim came crashing down.

In a true sign of professionalism, Joachim continued to perform and promote Brahms’ music, however the two did not speak for four frosty years.

In 1887, Brahms’ decided it was time to make amends, and composed his Double Concerto as a peace offering.

Threaded throughout the concerto is a version of the “motto” theme Frei aber einsam (Free, but lonely) that Brahms associated with Joachim, a clear dedication to the violinist, and the very nature of the double concerto gives a more overt nod to the plea for reconciliation.

Joachim took some time to love the concerto. Its understated nature was described by Clara Schumann as lacking ‘warmth and freshness’ - not a great tone for reparation of a friendship - and the violin part was revised several times as a result, but Joachim recognised the peace offering and reformed his relationship with Brahms. The premiere was performed later the same year, with Brahms conducting, Joachim playing violin and Robert Hausmann playing cello.

It was the last concerto Brahms ever wrote, and his final composition for orchestra. Thank goodness Brahms came to his senses and extended the olive branch, or we may have been denied this final piece of exceptional music.
 

WASO perform Brahms’ Double Concerto in the Morning Symphony Series concert of the same name, and Music of Ecstasy.

Brahms’ Double Concerto
Thur 9 Mar 2023, 11.00am
Perth Concert Hall

Music of Ecstasy
Fri 10 & Sat 11 Mar 2023, 7.30pm
Perth Concert Hall

Asher Fisch conductor
Laurence Jackson violin
Rod McGrath cello