Declared by his distinguished supporters to be the long-awaited successor to Beethoven, Brahms felt keenly the need to wait until he was completely confident of his compositional powers before embarking upon his first essay in the form which the earlier composer had so revolutionised. In keeping with the custom of the day, the scores of each of his four symphonies were all published in four-hand piano versions so as to be accessible to a domestic audience. These arrangements (the composer’s own) reveal the cheerfulness and serenity of the Second Symphony and those qualities which led the Third Symphony to be dubbed ‘Brahms’ Eroica’ in a fresh and fascinating light.