Brahms, Johannes: Akademische Festouvertüre

Johannes Brahms wrote the Academic Festival Overture op. 80 in Bad Ischl in the summer of 1880 as a token of thanks for the honorary doctorate that had been bestowed upon him the previous year by the University of Breslau. In keeping with the event, the work contains various folkloric and student songs which Brahms borrowed from the well-known “Commers-Buch für den deutschen Studenten”, a book containing material for the annual students' social gatherings. The overture's first performance was held in Breslau on 4 January 1881 under the direction of the composer. The present arrangement for string quartet by Christian Beyer compliments the already available overtures by Mozart, which Beyer also arranged for this instrumentation.