Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) – a German composer, pianist and conductor, a leading representative of late Romantic music. Grieg met Brahms in Leipzig on his travels around Germany in 1878, and also on New Year’s Eve 1888, at the Leipzig home of the Russian violinist Adolf Brosky. Grieg was compared to Brahms by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The Norwegian held Brahms’s songs in high regard and borrowed many elements from him (he particularly appreciated the reference to Hungarian folklore). He became more closely acquainted with Brahms in 1896, during their appearances in Vienna. Grieg compared the German composer’s music to the ruins of beautiful ancient temples.