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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PHANTOM EP
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 3220377 Records DK on 22 Jun 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kristina Svanberg Plays Brahms, Chopin, Rachmaninoff
Johannes Brahms, Serge Rachmaninoff, Frédéric Chopin, Kristina Svanberg
Classical - Released by Nilento Records on 15 Jan 2016
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Lullabies World ( Vol. 1 )
Johannes Brahms, Children's Square
New Age - Released by BIG Music Relax on 11 Feb 2022
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Les amants (Bande originale du film)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Milan on 20 Oct 2017
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La Vida de los Grandes Compositores Brahms
Classical - Released by Brisa Records on 29 Feb 2012
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Brahms: 2. Klavierkonzert in B-Dur op. 83 (Auszug)
Classical - Released by Seyffert Music on 26 Oct 2012
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Brahms , Sinfonía nº4
Orquesta Filarmónica De Bamberg
Classical - Released by ClassicalPirosDigital on 14 Oct 2015
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Brahms: Century Jukebox II
Johannes Brahms, Century Jukebox
Classical - Released by Century Jukebox on 6 Oct 2023
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Classical Masterpieces of the Millennium: Brahms
Classical - Released by Cobra Entertainment LLC on 29 Oct 2013
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Concerto for Strings (Classics Collection)
Classical - Released by Il Loggione Records on 1 Nov 2019
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Lonely Classical Music
Classical - Released by Music Ware on 2 Dec 2016
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Relax Classics
Classical - Released by Music Ware on 25 Nov 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Autumn Classical Music
Classical - Released by Music Blast on 8 Sep 2016
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Johannes Brahms, Los Grandes de la Música Clásica
Orquesta Lírica de Barcelona, Hugo Alfven, Ida Czernicka
Classical - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 17 Sep 2014
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Deluxe Classics: Dreams 3
Classical - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 2 Jan 2014
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Hungarian Dance No. 3 in F Major
Classical - Released by Amathus Music on 14 Mar 2006
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Música Clásica Vol. 9: Brahms
The Hamburg Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Meta - Monreal on 20 Dec 2010
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Johannes Brahms: Symphony N. 2 In D Major Op. 73
Classical - Released by Azzurra Music on 26 May 2015
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Johannes Brahms: Sonata N. 3 In F Minor Op. 5
Classical - Released by Classic art on 1 Jan 2000
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The Definitive Collection Of Johannes Brahms
Pop - Released by Only Between Us Records on 9 Jun 2017
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