The Symphony no. 2 in D, Op. 73 was composed by Johannes Brahms in 1877 during a visit to the Austrian Alps, and premiered that same year. Its gestation was brief in comparison with the fifteen years which Brahms took to complete his first symphony. The symphony is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, and strings. The apparent cheerfulness of the symphony has been likened with the pastoral mood of Beethoven's sixth symphony. A typical performance lasts between 40 and 50 minutes.
