As a young listener I was awestruck by the symphony’s drama and power, as well as Schubert’s depiction of what seemed to be a violent but stunningly beautiful clash between the ineffable extremes of emotion, between pure light and abject darkness. 'Whenever I attempted to sing of love, it turned to pain,' the composer said of his works' duality, 'and when I tried to sing of pain, it turned to love'

There is no doubt Brahms fell deeply in love with Clara after husband Robert Schumann's descent into madness. Understandably, his were feelings of guilt as Clara’s affection for the young composer intensified. While we will never know if their relationship transcended the platonic, what is certain is that the trio's lives and art testify that striving is a path to the sublime