High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, is a symphony written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms spent at least fourteen years completing this work, whose sketches date from 1854. Brahms himself declared that the symphony, from sketches to finishing touches, took 21 years, from 1855 to 1876. The premiere of this symphony, conducted by the composer`s friend Felix Otto Dessoff, occurred on November 4, 1876 in Karlsruhe, Germany. A typical performance lasts between 45 and 50 minutes.