It was his second venture into orchestral writing, his Symphony in F written in 1896 was not published.
The symphony in D minor was premiered in January 1902 in Manchester, England, under the baton of Hans Richter.
[2][3] Although audibly influenced by the prevailing voices of the time, including Bruckner, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Mahler and Brahms, the work nonetheless demonstrates a formidable handling of complex compositional techniques and is a notable precursor to what would become Dohnányi's distinctive neoromantic style.
The finale is the work's longest section, and ends in a triumphant conclusion.
Matthias Bamert, who had two years earlier conducted the premiere recording of Dohnányi's Symphony No.