Allegro con brio

Time and again, the Third symphony is referred to as the 'most Brahmsian', although the performance statistics show that the first and the fourth enjoy greater popularity. Is it the fact that the third is the shortest and surely the most compact in terms of content? For it lacks nothing that the others possess: ardour and melancholic austerity, but also aggressive confrontation, contrapuntal writing of the most complicated sort, and unpretentious folk song character. Fono Forum: 'Sir Marriner at his best'.