The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra's Brahmsfest, which began on April 21st, takes an extended look at the work of one of the most Romantic of all composers, Johannes Brahms.

It continues tomorrow at the National Concert Hall with the demanding Violin Concerto in D major, Op 77 (written for the virtuoso Joseph Joachim, the soloist on this occasion being Baiba Skride), the 3rd Symphony, and the premiere of a newly-commissioned piece, Brahms Begins the Day, by Fergus Johnston.

On Friday, May 5th, the programme will feature Brahms's 4th Symphony and the Tragic overture; before the concert there will be a pre-concert discussion between Colman Pearce and the composer Krzystof Meyer, whose double concerto for violin, cello and orchestra also receives its world premiere performance that night.

Finally, on Saturday, May 6th, Ein deutsches Requiem - a setting of texts from the Lutheran Bible, dedicated to the memory of the composer's mother, is paired with the dramatic and powerful Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor, Op 102 (soloists Stefan Tonz, violin, and Jan-Erik Gustafsson, cello). All concerts will be conducted by Gerhard Markson.