Brahms: The Complete Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1

Album review

German pianist Andreas Boyde revealed himself to be a sensitive and thoughtful musician in his 2000 disc coupling Schumann's variations on themes by Schubert and Brahms' variations on a theme by Schumann. Not only was his playing there wonderfully virtuosic, but his understanding of the character and relationships of the composers were marvelously sympathetic. In this 2007 disc -- his first in a complete set of the composer's piano works -- Boyde focuses exclusively on Brahms, and the results are no less virtuosic and sympathetic. Starting at the beginning, Boyde couples here the composer's first three published works for piano -- his C major and F sharp minor sonatas, Opus 1 and 2, and his E flat minor, Opus 4 -- and the results are an unfailingly compelling portrait of the artist as a young romantic. Boyde has the technique to handle Brahms' immensely difficult piano writing from the massive chords that open the C major Sonata to the rushing double octaves that close the E flat minor Scherzo, plus the soulful depth to handle his passionate emotional content from the exhilarating excitement of the C major Sonata's Finale to the furious tragedy of the E flat minor Scherzo. While old-time listeners may prefer Sviatoslav Richter's surging performances or Claudio Arrau's sculptured performances, anyone who loves the music of the young Brahms will enjoy this disc -- and look forward to Boyde's continued exploration of the composer's oeuvre. Oehms' sound is clean, but a little close and a little clattery.
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