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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Brahms - Strings Sextets Opp. 18 & 36
Clásica - Editado por Ermitage Records el 12/06/2023
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Brahms & Schoenberg
Música de cámara - Editado por Onyx Classics el 14/10/2016
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Brahms, Rózsa Clarinet Sonatas
Música de cámara - Editado por AVIE Records el 23/06/2014
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Brahms: Symphony No. 4 & No. 1 (Original Versions for Piano Four Hands)
Clásica - Editado por Claves Records el 2/05/1990
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Brahms Songs
Clásica - Editado por Arabesque Recordings el 1/10/1989
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A Concert of Pianists Vol, II: Brahms, Liszt, Mendelssohn etc.
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 16/12/2023
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Focus with Brahms & Liszt
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 8/09/2020
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Infinite Brahms
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 4/07/2020
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Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-Minor, Op. 15 - Antonin Dvorak: Violin Concerto in A-Minor, Op. 53
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg
Clásica - Editado por Soundmark Records el 19/02/2014
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Brahms: String Quartets Op. 51, Nos. 1 & 2
Johannes Brahms, Carmina Quartet
Clásica - Editado por Denon el 1/01/2010
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Brahms
Clásica - Editado por Cobra Entertainment LLC el 23/09/2014
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A Night of Classical Piano
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 29/12/2023
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Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
Göttinger Symphonie Orchester, Nicholas Milton
Música sinfónica - Editado por Prospero Classical el 1/04/2022
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Brahms: Variations and Fugue for Piano in B Major, Op. 24 - Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118
Clásica - Editado por RHI el 2/12/2013
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Brahms: Violin Concerto - Schumann: Fantasy for Violin
Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, David Oïstrakh, Igor Oïstrakh
Clásica - Editado por Blaricum CD Company (B.C.D.) B.V. el 7/11/2014
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Brahms - The Violin Sonatas
Clásica - Editado por Essay Recordings el 1/03/2005
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Brahms: Balladen Op. 10, Intermezzi Op. 117 - Klavierstücke Op. 118
Clásica - Editado por Claves Records el 1/01/2005
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Brahms: Complete Cello Sonatas Plus Intermezzi, Op. 117, And Trio In A Minor, Op. 114
Clásica - Editado por Arabesque Recordings el 1/05/2001
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The Complete Piano Variations Of Johannes Brahms
Clásica - Editado por Arabesque Recordings el 18/10/1994
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Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10, Op. 74 / Johannes Brahms: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 67
Música de cámara - Editado por Zeroh el 16/06/2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Sonosphere Vol. 6
Clásica - Editado por UME - Global Clearing House el 11/08/2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo