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The Requiem was written not long after the death of his mother, to whom he was very close. It conveys his profound sadness from this time period (1865). It is also significant because it received such wide critical acclaim that it firmly established him as a major composer. This is a clip from the first movement, "Selig sind, die da Leid tragen".
This is an arrangement of the melody "Bartfai-Emlék" ("Reminiscences of Bartfai") by Kéler Béla. It does not have an opus number, but it was written in 1868. It has a very catchy melody, and its energy make it a favorite of pianists. No. 5 is many people's first introduction to the piano music of Brahms.
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Brahms struggled with this piece for many years (1862 - 1876). He was very reluctant to write a symphony, feeling (as many composers did in the mid-19th century) that Beethoven had already written the best symphony possible (No. 9 in D minor). Brahms felt as though he was working in the shadow of Beethoven for much of his life, and the creation of Symphony No. 1 is an example of his anxiety. This is a clip from the first movement, "Un poco sostenuto - Allegro".
