Starting in the 2026-2027 season, Marc Albrecht will take up the baton as principal conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. This season, he returns to Antwerp with music by Brahms, a composer he has admired since receiving his first Brahms score at age 12. Brahms’ First Piano Concerto, originally conceived as a sonata and later adapted into a symphony, reflects his early struggles with the symphonic form. Martin Helmchen, a cherished guest of the orchestra, performs this Beethoven-inspired masterpiece. Arnold Schoenberg’s orchestration of Brahms’ First Piano Quartet, crafted 80 years after the original, transforms the piece into a stunning tribute to one of the 19th century’s greatest symphonic composers.