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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Essential Brahms, Volume 1: 50 Tracks of the Complete Symphonies, Concertos, & Overtures, and Other Orchestral Works
Klassik - Erschienen bei Classical Expressions am 18.07.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johannes Brahms: Symphony N. 3 In F Major, Op. 90 / Tragische Ouvertüre, Op. 81
Klassik - Erschienen bei Classic art am 17.09.2001
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Brahms: Clarinet Quintet Op. 115 & Piano Quintet Op. 34
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Claves Records am 01.01.1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Classical Compendium: Brahms
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 17.09.2022
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Ein Deutsches Requiem
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassik - Erschienen bei CORO am 28.08.2007
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Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3
Klassik - Erschienen bei Passacaille am 30.09.2015
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Grandi Pianisti Julius Katchen
Julius Katchen, Johannes Brahms, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 09.04.2021
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Schubert & Brahms: The Complete Duos (Vol. 1) - Phantasie
Pieter Wispelwey, Paolo Giacometti
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Evil Penguin Classic am 20.04.2015
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Christian Elsner: Urgedanken (Beethoven, Mahler, Wagner, Brahms)
Christian Elsner, Burkhard Kehring, Ludwig van Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms
Klassik - Erschienen bei Rondeau Production am 02.12.2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn - Schubert - Brahms
Stéphane Tétreault, Marie-Ève Scarfone
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Groupe Analekta, Inc am 11.09.2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Double Concerto - Beethoven: Triple Concerto
David Oïstrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter
Klassik - Erschienen bei Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica am 01.01.1969
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Brahms Quartets For Four Solo Voices & Piano
Klassik - Erschienen bei Arabesque Recordings am 13.06.2000
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Classical Halloween Music
Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg, Sergei Prokofiev
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 19.10.2020
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Mozart & Brahms: Clarinet Quintets
Panocha String Quartet, Roeland Hendrikx
Klassik - Erschienen bei PHAEDRA am 22.10.2010
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Brahms: Flowers
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 30.06.2020
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Johannes Brahms: String Sextet Nº 1 In B Flat Major, Op. 18 / String Sextet Nº 2, Op. 36
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Zeroh am 16.06.2017
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Alessio Bax plays Brahms
Klassik - Erschienen bei Signum Records am 22.10.2012
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Brahms: The String Sextets
Klassik - Erschienen bei Onyx Classics am 30.05.2007
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Brahms & Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Klassik - Erschienen bei Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica am 01.01.1982
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Brahms: A Classical October
Klassik - Erschienen bei UME - Global Clearing House am 27.10.2022
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Brahms: Violin Sonatas 1-2-3
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Onyx Classics am 03.11.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo