Problems and conundrums

George Henschel's vivid description of Brahms at the piano, dating from 5 February 1876, encapsulates the composer's stylistic approach: commanding yet free, almost improvisatory and intensely personal. Half a hundred other such descriptions attest its accuracy, at least during his prime as a pianist in the 1850s–70s, and throughout the essential elements remain constant.

Was there an analogous style (or styles) in the conducting of Brahms's symphonies, in the sense that some performances, but not others, approximated to what the composer aimed for in his own interpretations? That question is, in a nutshell, the principal concern of this study; it is not concerned with the wider question of what may be or may not be a valid interpretative approach to these works, consideration of which would occupy a work far larger, and with wider ramifications, than the present volume. To attempt a coherent answer to the initial question, the study pursues two underlying issues. The first is whether Henschel's description of Brahms's powerful but highly idiosyncratic style when performing his piano music had its counterpart in his style on the rostrum when conducting his own major works – assuming, that is, that he achieved his intentions with his orchestras as fully as, in his early years, he was able to do at the piano. The second issue is whether recorded sound preserves traces of that style or of other stylistic approaches to conducting his symphonies that received his approbation. Taken together, the answers to these issues may lead to a deeper appreciation of the composer's mind and intentions – for establishing the parameters of performance may indicate how best the composer expected his unique fusion of Classical form and high Romantic emotional thrust to be projected and balanced.

The groundplan of the study is best indicated by a series of questions.