Far From Home

Changes at home hit hard when viewed from abroad. For Dvořák, learning that his first love (and sister-in-law) was terminally ill back in Bohemia brought emotional anguish that was only intensified by distance. Brahms was no stranger to emotional turmoil either, candidly writing about his struggles with depression, though his Second Symphony pushes the dark clouds away for an uplifting finale. Both composers’ struggles with dark times resulted in profoundly emotional music that is amongst the best either ever wrote.