Brahms is one of the best-loved yet most controversial of all the Romantics. Almost uniquely, his works have never suffered the slightest period of eclipse. Profoundly emotional yet governed by an iron discipline, the music, like the man, is a fascinating, entertaining, often deeply moving blend of opposites. He had a gift for friendship and a capacity for love far beyond the ordinary, yet no man could be ruder or more hurtful. Though humble, he was consumed by a sense of destiny, and his inner life, coloured by his adoration and fear of women, found expression in some of the greatest music ever written.

This series presents the life and work of major composers. The recording is illustrated with quotations from the composer and his contemporaries, enhanced by extended extracts from representative works. In the companion booklet are essays and notes on the composer and his times.