‘We must entrust to oblivion pieces by many great composers.’ Although Christoph von Dohnányi confessed in an interview at the time that, in order to keep the concert repertoire fresh and varied, he would happily never conduct the Academic Festival Overture again, he returned to the music of Brahms frequently during his tenure as Music Director of the NDR Sinfonieorchester. On this occasion he led the Second Symphony, which they had played together in two complete symphony-cycles during his tenure.