Brahms Op. 16

This past Sunday I played viola in a performance of Brahms' Serenade No. 2. This work doesn't have any violins, so the orchestra I played with asked those of us that could to be "switch-hitters" for this piece. It was a good experience for me, being not much of a violist (a viola joke lover might say I fit right in with the section!), and I found that I enjoyed playing the Brahms. The first movement is really nice, and the last movement was probably my favorite. The middle movements are a total snooze (sorry, Johannes). I'm including a video of the last movement below for those interested in hearing it. This is performed by the Vienna Philharmonic (notice the conspicuous absence of women? That's always a good clue!) and conducted by Leonard Bernstein.