German, born in Hamburg and spent most his life in Vienna. In 1859, based out of Hamburg, Brahms wrote his Serenade #2 dedicating it to Clara Schumann. In the footsteps of Mozart, Brahms experimented with the instrumentation to achieve his own sound, with violins being completely left out. That sound, in this Serenade No. 2, is hugely rich and deep.

I first played this Serenade at the Music Academy of the West and fell in love with it.

This Serenade has its own set of challenges in translating this piece for flutes. You will need to follow the dynamics and articulations, especially staccatos, very carefully as Brahms has some interesting harmonies that can clash without the presence and nature of other instruments bringing out certain parts on their own.

This is a digital version of the piece that you can download as a PDF and print.