Composers find their voice - Part 1

By Dan Margolies,

Published February 23, 2022 at 12:53 PM CST

Violinist Mayu Kishima performs Dimitri Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra with the Kansas City Symphony, October 2017.

This week we begin a series of programs highlighting firsts by great composers. Co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies explain why it took so long for Johannes Brahms to write his first symphony, plus we'll hear masterful first concertos by Sergei Prokofiev and Dimitri Shostakovich.

An agreement with the Kansas City Symphony allows us to share audio for this program up to four weeks after the program's original air date. You can listen to currently available episodes here.

Hosts

Michael Stern
Dan Margolies

Program

Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
by Johannes Brahms
Live performance, January 2015

Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 10
by Sergei Prokofiev
Osmo Vanska, guest conductor
Lise de la Salle, piano
Live performance, November 2012

Concerto No. 1 in A minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 77
by Dimitri Shostakovich
Mayu Kishima, violin