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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Heavenly Classics Johannes Brahms
Pop - Released by Only Between Us Records on 14 Apr 2017
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Naturally Classical Johannes Brahms
Pop - Released by Only Between Us Records on 7 Apr 2017
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Classically Beautiful Johannes Brahms
Classical - Released by Only Between Us Records on 24 Mar 2017
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La lune
Concertos - Released by Plaza Mayor Company, Ltd. on 3 Feb 2017
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Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat Major, Op. 83
Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch, Clifford Curzon
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 26 Oct 2012
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Relaxed Holidays with Brahms
Classical - Released by UMG Recordings, Inc. on 12 Dec 2020
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Brahms - The Genius Collection
Classical - Released by Unchained Melodíe on 28 Feb 2011
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Brahms: Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53
Kathleen Ferrier, The London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 12 Mar 2014
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Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45
Herbert von Karajan, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, The Vienna Singverein
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 12 Mar 2014
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Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
Herbert von Karajan, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Released by Sunday Club Records on 4 Dec 2013
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Brahms Through the Ages
Classical - Released by Unchained Melodíe on 28 Feb 2011
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Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77
Pierre Monteux, London Symphony Orchestra, Henryk Szeryng
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 28 Feb 2014
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In stiller Nacht (Electronic Version)
Electronic - Released by Electro Roma on 31 May 2022
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The Best of Brahms (Remastered)
Miscellaneous - Released by Classic Records Ltd. on 15 Apr 2018
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Rhapsodie (Electronic Version)
Electronic - Released by Electro Roma on 1 Sep 2022
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Brahms: Variations On a Theme By Haydn
Wiener Symphoniker, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Classical - Released by Violet Hill Records on 5 Sep 2013
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Electronic Passion (Electronic Version)
Electronic - Released by Electro Roma on 6 Sep 2022
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Brahms: Four Songs
Kathleen Ferrier, Phyllis Spurr, Max Gilbert
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Sunday Club Records on 12 Mar 2014
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Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 73
Wiener Symphoniker, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Classical - Released by Violet Hill Records on 5 Sep 2013
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Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77
Otto Klemperer, The French National Radio Orchestra, David Oïstrakh
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 30 Sep 2013
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Brahms: Hungarian Dances
Rafael Kubelik, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Sunday Club Records on 27 Jan 2014
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