Johannes Brahms - Symphony No.1 - Wiener Philharmoniker - Bernstein - 1981

This is perhaps the greatest 'first' symphony ever written. Brahms didn't complete it until he was over 40. Great performance! Listen at the 38:44 mark for the sunbeam that shines through the confusion of the dark, stormy clouds. This is a theme that Brahms originally had penned on a post card sent to his friend Clara Schumann. It was a note of apology. The theme is first carried by the French horns and then repeated by a flute. It's a message of pure love and understanding. The rest of the last movement is some of the most happy, triumphant stuff Brahms ever wrote.