I have yet to hear a piece by Johannes Brahms that I dislike. I imagine most Classical music listeners feel the same way. St. Louis Symphony conductor laureate Leonard Slatkin pointed out something about Brahms, however, that I hadn't considered. During an interview on K297BI 107.3 FM yesterday, Slatkin said that Brahms composed relatively few works for orchestra, but orchestras and radio stations play nearly all of them frequently. In percentage terms, Brahms is one of the most successful composers.
However, I also have yet to hear a piece by Franz Joseph Haydn that I dislike, and Haydn was extremely prolific. Depending on which source you consult, he composed between 104 and 108 symphonies. While the general public doesn't know as many of his orchestral works offhand, there's a steady consistency in his composing that warrants respect.
Composers are entitled to decide how many of their works they release to the public. There's a case to be made for just putting the cream of the crop out for public consumption, as Brahms did. When you're able to maintain a certain high level of quality, however, there's an equally compelling case for releasing nearly everything you compose, as Haydn did. Centuries later, it's apparent that both composers found the right balance between quantity and quality.
