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S53E11

Now Hear This – “Brahms: Free But Alone”

Premiere: 4/10/2026
PBS   •   PBS App

Johannes Brahms was a quiet, private person, but he lived a full life, bearing a responsibility he didn’t want, a woman he couldn’t be with, and a legacy he couldn’t live up to. Scott Yoo journeys across Germany with pianist Elisabeth Brauss and cellists Johannes Moser and Max Hornung to find a window into Brahms’ inner life.

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Premieres Friday, April 10 at 9/8c on PBS, pbs.org/gperf and the PBS app

Johannes Brahms was a quiet, private person, but he lived a full life, bearing a responsibility he didn’t want, a woman he couldn’t be with, and a legacy he couldn’t live up to. Scott Yoo journeys across Germany with pianist Elisabeth Brauss and cellists Johannes Moser and Max Hornung to find a window into Brahms’ inner life. Through his personal photo collection and a visit to his summer hideaway, preserved as Brahms left it years ago, Scott Yoo discovers how Brahms reached a turning point in his life to become one of the greatest composers ever known.

Now Hear This – “Brahms: Free But Alone” is part of season 7 of Now Hear This.

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SERIES OVERVIEW

For more than 50 years on PBS, Great Performances has provided an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America’s most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming. Showcasing a diverse range of artists from around the world, the series has earned 67 Emmy Awards and six Peabody Awards. The Great Performances website hosts exclusive videos, interviews, photos, full episodes and more. The series is produced by The WNET Group. Great Performances is available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on PBS.org and the PBS App.

FUNDING

Series funding for Great Performances is provided by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, the Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold, the S. Irving and Anne Nevard Sherr Foundation, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, The Starr Foundation, Madeline and Stephen Anbinder, Leni and Peter May, and Ellen and James S. Marcus. Additional funding is provided by The V & L Marx Foundation in memory of Virginia and Leonard Marx.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Series funding for Great Performances is provided by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, the Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold, the S. Irving and Anne Nevard Sherr Foundation, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, The Starr Foundation, Madeline and Stephen Anbinder, Leni and Peter May, and Ellen and James S. Marcus. Additional funding is provided by The V & L Marx Foundation in memory of Virginia and Leonard Marx.