He offered the orchestra as a trial ensemble to Johannes Brahms, who was to try out his Second Piano Concerto and Third Symphony with the orchestra and premiered his Fourth Symphony there, conducting it himself.
Bülow nabídl orchestr ke zkoušení Johannesu Brahmsovi, který s ním nazkoušel svůj Druhý klavírní koncert a Třetí symfonii a uvedl premiéru Čtvrté symfonie, kterou sám oddirigoval.