performed by Barry Douglas, or below by Anatole Kitain (cover image by Simon Matzinger) The sixteen waltzes of Brahms’ op. 39 are dedicated to Eduard Hanslick and were completed by 1866. They were originally written for piano-four-hands. There were two … Continue reading Brahms: 16 Waltzes, op. 39
performed the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, Schwarzkopf and Fischer-Dieskau under Otto Klemperer (cover image by Tom Barrett) Formal composition on the requiem began in 1865, after a very important, very tragic event that same year, the death of the composer’s … Continue reading Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45
performed by Mstislav Rostropovich and Rudolf Serkin, or below with Jacqueline du Pré and Barenboim (The work is officially titled ‘Sonate für Klavier und Violoncello‘; we will discuss this shortly.) (cover image by Miguel Mateo) Brahms completed his first sonata … Continue reading Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, op. 38
performed by Tamás Vásáry, Thomas Brandis & Norbert Hauptmann, or below by Dale Clevenger, Itzhak Perlman, and Daniel Barenboim It’s been a while since we’ve seen Brahms on the blog, in fact about nine months, in his fourth and final symphony. Today’s … Continue reading Brahms Horn Trio in E-flat major, Op. 40
played by Nelson Friere and the Munich Philharmonic under Rudolph Kempe Music You Can Understand: Part 2 This is intense. Also, two videos this week. Watch the top one first (at least the first minute or so), then the second … Continue reading Liszt: Totentanz
Fugue for Thought 