b'With two acclaimed symphonies under his belt by 1878, Brahms began composing his second piano concerto. However, this new endeavor was also fraught with apprehensions and fears. His first piano concerto, composed twenty years prior, was at first a disheartening failure. It was his first orchestral composition to be played in public and the composer was severely demoralized by the reception at the premiere. The gap between the two concertos suggests that Brahms, who was chronically self-critical, was afraid to put himself in a vulnerable position with his audience, particularly on the piano, his own instrument.Three years later, in 1881, when Brahms completed the second concerto, he appeared to have resolved any remaining fears. At its premiere in Budapest, with the composer as soloist, the new concerto was an instant success, and Brahms continued to perform it dozens of times across Europe to great acclaim. It was usual of Brahms to publicly criticize some of his big compositions by referring to them as trifles or bon-bons. He once described his melancholy fourth symphony as "a bunch of polkas and waltzes." It was the same with this new concerto. To one friend, he referred to the nearly one-hour-long composition as some little piano pieces." To another, he described it as "a tiny, tiny piano concerto with a tiny, tiny wisp of a scherzo." He previously stated that the scherzo in the second movement was necessary since the first movement was "too simplistic." Similarly, Brahms occasionally (and on purpose) exaggerated a work\'s heaviness, and specifically referred to this concerto as "the long terror." While it is undeniably lengthylonger than any concerto written up to that timeneither the Piano Concerto No. 2\'s overall affability nor its tremendous technical demands remotely qualify it as a "terror." Perhaps the most accurate evidence of the composer\'s appreciation for this new work is the dedication to Brahms\'s first composition teacher, Eduard Marxsen. It appears that Brahms, in his late forties at the time, had finally composed a piece he deemed suitable to bear his former teacher\'s name. Instrumentationtwo flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings Duration46 minutescontinued'