Johannes Brahms
The stature of Johannes Brahms among classical composers is best illustrated by his inclusion among the "Three Bs" triumvirate of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Of all the major composers of the late Romantic era, Brahms was the one most attached to the Classical ideal as manifested in the music of Haydn, Mozart, and especially Beethoven; indeed, Hans von Bülow once characterized Brahms' Symphony No. 1 (1855-1876) as "Beethoven's Tenth." As a youth, Brahms was championed by Robert Schumann as music's greatest hope for the future; as a mature composer, Brahms became the most potent symbol of musical tradition for conservative musical journalists, a stalwart against the "degeneration" represented by the music of Wagner and his school. Brahms' symphonies, choral and vocal works, chamber music, and piano pieces are imbued with strong emotional feeling, yet take shape according to a thoroughly considered structural plan.
The son of a double bassist in the Hamburg Philharmonic Society, Brahms demonstrated great promise at a young age. He began his musical career as a pianist, contributing to the family coffers as a teenager by playing in restaurants, taverns, and even brothels. By his early twenties he enjoyed associations with luminaries like violinists Eduard Reményi and Joseph Joachim, but the friend and mentor who was most instrumental in advancing his career was Schumann, who all but adopted him and became his most ardent admirer -- their esteem was mutual. Following Schumann's death in 1856, Brahms became the closest confidant and lifelong friend of the composer's widow, pianist and composer Clara Wieck Schumann. After a lifetime of spectacular musical triumphs and failed loves (the composer was involved in several romantic entanglements but never wed), Brahms died of liver cancer on April 3, 1897.
In every genre in which he composed, Brahms produced works that have become staples of the repertory. His most ambitious work, the German Requiem (1863-1867), is the composer's singular reinterpretation of an age-old form. The four symphonies -- lushly scored, grand in scope, and deeply expressive -- are cornerstones of the symphonic literature. Brahms' concertos are in a similarly monumental, quasi-symphonic vein: the two piano concertos (1856-1859 and 1881), and the Violin Concerto (1878) call for soloists with both considerable technical skill and stamina. His chamber music is among the most sophisticated and exquisitely crafted of the Romantic era; his works that incorporate clarinet (e.g., the Trio in A minor, Op. 114 and the two Sonatas, Op. 120), the latter an instrument largely overlooked by his contemporaries -- remain unsurpassed. Though the piano sonata never held the same appeal for Brahms as it did for Beethoven (Brahms wrote three to Beethoven's 32), he produced a voluminous body of music for the piano. He showed a particular affinity for variations -- notably, on themes of Schumann (1854), Handel (1861), and Paganini (1862-1863) -- and likewise produced a passel of national dances and character pieces such as ballades, intermezzi, and rhapsodies. Collectively, these constitute one of the essential bodies of work in the realm of 19th century keyboard music.
© Rovi Staff /TiVo
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Kempff plays Brahms
Johannes Brahms, Wilhelm Kempff
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 21 nov. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johannes Brahms : Complete Music for Cello and Piano (Transcriptions : Hungarian Dances - Lieder - Violin Sonata No.1)
Jonathan Aasgaard, Martin Roscoe
Kamermuziek - Released by Avie Records on 8 apr. 2014
Gramophone Editor's Choice16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms Symphony No. 2 & Symphony No. 4
Philharmonia Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnányi
Klassiek - Released by Signum Classics on 25 aug. 2008
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Brahms - A Classical Morning
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 4 nov. 2022
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Brahms : Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 (Live)
Jan Willem de Vriend, Rotterdam Symphony Chorus, Residentie Orkest The Hague
Klassiek - Released by Challenge Classics on 7 okt. 2016
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Brahms: Balladen Op. 10, Intermezzi Op. 117 - Klavierstücke Op. 118 & Op. 119 (Deluxe Edition)
Klassiek - Released by Claves Records on 10 aug. 2021
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Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 15 & Liszt: Trois odes funèbres S. 112
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Celestial Harmonies on 7 sep. 2016
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Schumann & Brahms
Klassiek - Released by Champs Hill Records on 28 jul. 2017
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Brahms: Liebeslieder Waltzes Op. 521/65A
Klassiek - Released by Claves Records on 1 jan. 1987
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Brahms: Violin Concerto / Schumann: Symphony No. 4
Klassiek - Released by Avie Records on 2 mei 2007
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Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances for Piano Four Hands - 16 Waltzes for Two Pianos
Klassiek - Released by Int - Bertus on 30 sep. 2016
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Art of the Piano Vol. 2: Brahms, Liszt, Schumann, Schubert
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 24 nov. 2023
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A Classical Winter: The Piano
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 4 dec. 2023
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Johannes Brahms - Water Drops
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 18 jul. 2020
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A Season of Music: Brahms
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 21 sep. 2022
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Brahms: The Piano Quartets
Kamermuziek - Released by Meridian Records on 29 mrt. 2019
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Brahms: Serenade No. 1 & Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Jan Willem de Vriend, Residentie Orkest The Hague
Klassiek - Released by Challenge Classics on 6 mei 2016
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Brahms / Ravel / Poulenc - Wigmore Hall Live
Kamermuziek - Released by Wigmore Hall Live on 1 apr. 2016
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GRANDI VOCI - RENATA TEBALDI - Canzoni italiane, canzoni napoletane, arie sacre e canti di Natale Una collana con registrazioni originali Decca e Deutsche Grammophon rimasterizzate con tecniche moderne che ne garantiscono eccellenza tecnica e artistica
Renata Tebaldi, Johannes Brahms, Gaetano Donizetti
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 2 apr. 2021
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Brahms: All Time Greatest Moments
Academy Of St. Christopher Orchestra
Klassiek - Released by Big Eye on 1 jan. 2008
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Bernard Haitink - A Portrait
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Johannes Brahms, Bernard Haitink
Klassiek - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 2 sep. 2020
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