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
Discografía
1000 álbum(es) • Ordenado por Mejores ventas
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Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 2 & 3
Cuartetos - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 4 abr 2025
Álbum de la semana QobuzDisponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: Piano Concertos & Solo Piano Opp. 116 - 119
Clásica - Editado por Sony Classical el 4 oct 2024
Scherzo: Discos ExcepcionalesDisponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 2 & 3
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 4 abr 2025
Álbum de la semana QobuzDisponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Johannes Brahms: Complete Symphonies
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 2 may 2025
Disponible en24-Bit/192 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: Cello Sonatas
Clásica - Editado por Pentatone el 15 nov 2024
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 2 & 3
Música de cámara - Editado por Ondine el 6 sept 2024
Diapason d'orPreis der deutschen SchallplattenkritikDisponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: Complete Symphonies
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 2 may 2025
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Johannes Brahms: The Symphonies
Sinfonías - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 12 jul 2024
Disponible en24-Bit/192 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, 4 Ballades, Fantasias
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 23 nov 2016
Disponible en -
Brahms: The Symphonies
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 1 ene 2013
Choc de ClassicaGramophone: Recording of the YearGramophone: Recording of the MonthDisponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: The Symphonies
Clásica - Editado por Decca Music Group Ltd. el 1 ene 2013
Choc de ClassicaGramophone: Recording of the YearGramophone: Recording of the MonthDisponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: Symphonies
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Clásica - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 12 jul 2024
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms : The Four Symphonies
Sinfonías - Editado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) el 1 mar 1965
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: Violin Concerto, Op. 77 & Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, Op. 102
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 1 dic 2024
Disponible en24-Bit/192 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: The Violin Sonatas
Clásica - Editado por Ondine el 12 ago 2016
Gramophone: Recording of the Month5 Sterne Fono Forum KlassikDisponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms : The Violin Sonatas
Clásica - Editado por Ondine el 12 ago 2016
Gramophone: Recording of the Month5 Sterne Fono Forum KlassikDisponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: The Symphonies
Clásica - Editado por Linn Records el 1 mar 2018
Disponible en24-Bit/192 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: The Complete Symphonies, Overtures, Haydn Variations, Violin Concerto, Deutsches Requiem & Alto Rhapsody
Clásica - Editado por Warner Classics el 23 ago 2024
Disponible en24-Bit/192 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: The Piano Trios
Música de cámara - Editado por Ondine el 1 abr 2016
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: The Piano Trios
Música de cámara - Editado por Ondine el 1 abr 2016
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Brahms: The Piano Trios
Música de cámara - Editado por 2xHD - Ondine el 1 abr 2016
Disponible en24-Bit/96 kHz Estéreo