James Tobin ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>...  In his first piano concerto, he says, Brahms cribbed the finale
>from Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto, and Swafford claims that these
>finales can be analyzed as essentially the same piece.  Haven't gotten
>around to a one on one comparison yet, myself.

As far as I can hear them mentally against the background of Jon Leifs, it
seems a reasonable remark.

I must say that with a few exceptions I'm not sure that Brahms ever really
reliably turned out great finales; although, perhaps he was following more
the classical model than the post-Beethoven model of the "finale symphony".
Often his finales can seem somewhat throwawy, no matter how delightful the
music - the second symphony and second piano concerto spring to mind.  The
finales of the 3rd and 4th symphonies, in their very differing ways, are
among the exceptions.

All IMHO of course.

Deryk Barker
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