Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897) composed his last symphony in two phases: two movements in each of the summers he spent in Mürzzuschlag, in 1884 and 1885. He completed the work in September of the second year. This Symphony in E minor is Brahms's longest and also the one with the strongest historical references. It was his last work in the genre and ends his extraordinary series of four strongly contrasting symphonies. He had said everything that the form permitted him to express. On this release, Jukka-Pekka Saraste leads the WDR Sinfonieorchester in the performance of this legendary work. Finnish conductor and violinist Jukka-Pekka Saraste studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy with Jorma Panula. In 1983, he cofounded the Avanti Chamber Orchestra, and in 2000 he founded the Ekenas Summer Concerts-Festival with the Finnish Chamber Orchestra. He became principal conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester in 2008.