Out of all his symphonies, this first symphony took Brahms the longest to write. This was on the one hand, due to the composer's meticulous and extremely self-critical working method, and on the other hand, due to Beethoven's overwhelming example, which held him back. 14 years passed until this serious and complex work was completed. But it was worth the effort: none of his other works contain such a multitude of musical ideas.
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