Brahms chose the title ‘Tragic’ to emphasize the turbulent, tormented character of this piece, in essence a free-standing symphonic movement. Despite its name, the Tragic Overture does not follow any specific dramatic program. Brahms was not very interested in musical storytelling and was more concerned with conveying and eliciting emotional impressions.

Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto forms an important part of the violin repertoire and is one of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos of all time.

Nature was an important source of inspiration for Beethoven. It is unsurprising that he chose to express his feelings of the natural world symphonically; of which the Pastorale Symphony is a festival of enchantment from beginning to end.