Among Romantic composers, Johannes Brahms was the one who most cultivated the writing of songs for vocal ensembles. This is not surprising, since he had been conducting amateur and professional choirs since his adolescence, in addition to his devotion to Renaissance choral music and the German vocal tradition. The second part of this concert brings us Luís de Freitas Branco’s Scherzo Fantastique, one of the central figures of Portuguese music in the last century. Composed in 1907, the work remained unpublished until it was finally premiered at a concert at Casa da Música on 1 October 2005. Conducted by Nuno Coelho, principal conductor of the Principality of Asturias Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra closes this programme with Taras Bulba, Janáček’s rhapsody based on dramatic episodes from Nikolai Gogol’s novel.