Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Started by BachQ, April 07, 2007, 03:23:22 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.


MishaK

Quote from: Herzog Lipschitz on November 07, 2007, 04:48:22 PM
Brahms apparently loved to play his First Piano Concerto on a Centennial D Steinway Grand, and listening to Stephen Hough's dynamic, magisterial performance of it on a restored 1876 model it is easy to understand why.

The Centennial D is a sturdy beast, mellower in timbre than a modern Steinway but with hidden depths and a wonderful, deep-throated growl to its bass notes.

In Hough's hands it also revealed a range of colour and a responsiveness to touch, not merely in the concerto's more mammoth moments but elsewhere in passages of delicacy.

...or you could just play it on a Bösendorfer or a Bechstein, which exhibit similar timbral qualities over modern (esp. NY - as opposed to Hamburg) Steinways. Bechstein has been my weapon of choice for years now.

FideLeo

HIP for all and all for HIP! Harpsichord for Bach, fortepiano for Beethoven and pianoforte for Brahms!

BachQ

Uploaded yesterday:

Brahms violin concerto part1
Pavel Guerchovitch
PM Durand
Paris

http://www.youtube.com/v/iAXy9F3mLI0

BachQ

http://www.youtube.com/v/4NePC3x1WoY

Aristo piano trio plays Brahms C Major Trio op. 87 – 4TH mvt
Joseph Kaizer, cello
Andrew Ling, violin
Chia-Lin Yang, piano
October 24th, 2007

BachQ

3d mvt http://www.youtube.com/v/sQF1vcwLrUc

Aristo piano trio plays Brahms C Major Trio op. 87 – 3rd mvt
Joseph Kaizer, cello
Andrew Ling, violin
Chia-Lin Yang, piano
October 24th, 2007

BachQ

2d mvt http://www.youtube.com/v/rWR_UyqNaYs

Aristo piano trio plays Brahms C Major Trio op. 87 – 2d mvt
Joseph Kaizer, cello
Andrew Ling, violin
Chia-Lin Yang, piano
October 24th, 2007

BachQ

http://www.youtube.com/v/G54UZ6L7OTY

Piano Sonata No.3 in F-Minor, Op.5 (1st movement) by Johannes Brahms

2007 Peggy Friedmann-Gordon Music Competition Winners' Recital

Michael Lao Cu (20), piano - 1st Place
Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall
Center for the Arts
Towson University
08 November 2007



rappy

Does anybody agree with me if I consider his piano concertos as his greatest efforts?

Reasons for Piano Concerto Op. 15 D minor being the greatest ever written:

- most impressive, powerful, fascinating and suspenseful opening I've ever heard
- most beautiful use of Sixths (when the piano enters)
- most touching and solemn second theme there has ever been
- greatest use of strings in lower register I've ever heard (orchestral version of second theme)
- most elegant combination of ternary and binary rhythms
- greatest and most powerful coda of all concertos

Reasons for Piano Concerto Op. 83 Bb major being the greatest ever written:

- most innovative opening for a piano concerto
- most beautiful horn solo
- most beautiful and harmonically interesting cadenza at the beginning
- most impressive use of pizzicato strings
- greatest conclusions of the orchestral parts
- most beautiful scherzo middle section
- most profound scherzo
- most beautiful cello solo

BachQ

Quote from: rappy on November 13, 2007, 11:06:18 AM
Does anybody agree with me if I consider his piano concertos as his greatest efforts?

Reasons for Piano Concerto Op. 15 D minor being the greatest ever written:

- most impressive, powerful, fascinating and suspenseful opening I've ever heard
- most beautiful use of Sixths (when the piano enters)
- most touching and solemn second theme there has ever been
- greatest use of strings in lower register I've ever heard (orchestral version of second theme)
- most elegant combination of ternary and binary rhythms
- greatest and most powerful coda of all concertos

Reasons for Piano Concerto Op. 83 Bb major being the greatest ever written:

- most innovative opening for a piano concerto
- most beautiful horn solo
- most beautiful and harmonically interesting cadenza at the beginning
- most impressive use of pizzicato strings
- greatest conclusions of the orchestral parts
- most beautiful scherzo middle section
- most profound scherzo
- most beautiful cello solo

I absolutely agree.   0:) They are towering masterpieces in every respect.

BachQ

Live performance of Brahms' 1st piano concerto in D minor, op. 15, with Kirill Gerstein, Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar youth symphony orchestra
Pt 1 http://www.youtube.com/v/uKVRQXLPdHk

BachQ

Live performance of Brahms' 1st piano concerto in D minor, op. 15, with Kirill Gerstein, Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar youth symphony orchestra
Pt 2 http://www.youtube.com/v/fGvN_q02qG4

BachQ

Live performance of Brahms' 1st piano concerto in D minor, op. 15, with Kirill Gerstein, Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar youth symphony orchestra
Pt 3 http://www.youtube.com/v/XdlBE681aAU

Live performance of Brahms' 1st piano concerto in D minor, op. 15, with Kirill Gerstein, Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar youth symphony orchestra
Pt 4http://www.youtube.com/v/rLTAAUrqDz0

Live performance of Brahms' 1st piano concerto in D minor, op. 15, with Kirill Gerstein, Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar youth symphony orchestra
pt 5 http://www.youtube.com/v/09nY16tOWgA

BachQ

TV Lookout for the Week of Nov. 18-24
By FRAZIER MOORE – 2 days ago


_ A new season of PBS' "Great Performances" begins as Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman and Zubin Mehta lead a special birthday gathering. It's "The Israel Philharmonic 70th Anniversary Gala Concert," with music including the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 and Brahms' first great orchestral work, the D-minor Piano Concerto No. 1. The concert was recorded in Tel Aviv last December and premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m. (check local listings), marking another milestone: the start of "Great Performances'" 35th year.

marvinbrown

Quote from: D Minor on November 12, 2007, 06:38:48 AM
2d mvt http://www.youtube.com/v/rWR_UyqNaYs

Aristo piano trio plays Brahms C Major Trio op. 87 – 2d mvt
Joseph Kaizer, cello
Andrew Ling, violin
Chia-Lin Yang, piano
October 24th, 2007


  WOW, that piano trio op.87 is very beautiful D I can't believe I don't have that in my collection  $:)!  But then again my Brahm's collection has been growing steadily over the past couple of months, I'll be looking to add the Brahm's piano trios to my collection soon. Thanks for that post.

  marvin

BachQ


BachQ



Top twelve recordings of 2007




Brahms: String Sextets
Nash Ensemble (Onyx)
Release Date: May 2007




The Nash Ensemble's latest CD release of Brahms' Sextets No. 1 (op. 18) and No. 2 (op. 36) once again leads the way with an energetic, brilliant and deeply atmospheric performance.

On almost every level they impress. From the tightness of their ensemble to the brilliance of their sound, these six dynamic performers achieve sparkle and delight. The Onyx label has certainly selected the best: this recording is one to be marvelled at and envied.

String Sextets No. 1 and No. 2 occupy an important place in Brahms' repertoire. Composed early in his career (1858 and 1864), they were the first chamber works to be written without the inclusion of a piano. In choosing the string sextet (rather than the more common quartet), Brahms was attracted by the full lyrical and melodic potential an extra viola and cello could offer: with this scoring, the lower lines could maintain their traditional role whilst also contesting for the melody. Certainly these sextets challenge the full extent of technique and demand the equal contribution of each player - traits which Brahms passionately valued.

The first movement of the String Sextet No. 1 is marked by the elegance of the Nash Ensemble's playing. Their opening is dignified, allowing space for the momentum of Brahms' antiphonal writing between the first violin and first cello to emerge. The intense and rich textures that follow are matched by the sonorous and brilliant sound of the Nash Ensemble. But what excites me most is the driving force of the second movement. The opening theme is relentless while the following stormy variations show off the virtuosic playing of both the violas (Lawrence Power and Philip Dukes) and cellos (Paul Watkins and Tim Hugh). A little treat is followed in the Scherzo: Allegro molto which lives up to its name - the Allegro is certainly fast but skilfully controlled. Ensemble is everything for these Nash players. It comes as no surprise then that the final movement, scored in the more conventional style of a quartet, is equally delightful and ends the work with an exciting viola flourish.

Brahms' Second String Sextet is of another mood altogether but is just as accomplished as the first. The slow trill from the viola hints from the start at the darker nature of this work. A sense of foreboding is also marked by the emergence of the theme which appears in unison octaves: it hints at Brahms' personal despair following the agony of his failed romances of both Agathe von Siebold and Clara Schumann. The seamless transitions between the contrasting (and juxtaposed) troubled and animated passages are impressive. However, the real highlight for me is the stylish trio section in the second movement. This is performed with zest, displaying the full finesse of the Nash Ensemble. Occasionally it is difficult to hear the middle register pizzicatos of the opening and final sections, but this is a small consideration.

The Nash Ensemble beautifully encapsulates the different characters of each of the five variations. They present a broad scope of dynamic colour with careful negotiation of the contrapuntal passages in the third variation.

A final testament to the Nash's talent comes with the closing movement. Its buoyant tempo and rapid semi-quaver passages are tackled with ease and each player with their boundless energy drives the piece to a close. Final credit goes to the sound engineer Simon Haram, who kept even the lowest of registers audible.

An outstanding performance from the Nash Ensemble, who retain their title as one of Britain's finest chamber groups.

By Mary Robb


BachQ

Top twelve recordings of 2007

-------
Brahms: Piano Quintet; String Quartet Op.51 No.2
Stephen Hough; Takács Quartet (Hyperion CDA 967551)
Release Date: November 2007

It's with rather dull inevitability that this disc from Stephen Hough and the Takács Quartet is every bit as good as one would expect. A forthright, clearly defined and stunningly well played performance of Brahms' F minor Piano Quintet is coupled with the same composer's String Quartet in A minor, Op.51 No.2 in what we can only hope is an indication that the Takács will go on to record the remaining two quartets.

This has to be one of the most intelligently played and controlled performance of the quintet I've heard. It might be less dramatic than some and there might be those who miss the spectacle of the string players trying to assert themselves against a pianist's dominant personality, but for me this is chamber music playing of the highest order. Helped by Hyperion's exemplary engineering, Hough fits into the texture seamlessly; the piano's lines, especially in the opening movement, mix easily with those of the strings and its percussive power is used to underpin the general argument, rather than dominate it.

There is nothing routine about this performance. The staccato chords which Brahms makes such a feature of in the first movement development are all carefully placed, the furious repeated notes that bring the scherzo to a close are fiery but never out of control. It's part and parcel of what makes the Takács who they are, the quartet now consistently named the best in the world. Obviously there are no technical hurdles for them but their sound is always alive; Edward Dusinberre, the first violin, leads from the front with his limpid, endlessly flexible playing.

'Cellist András Fejér in particular is outstanding, listen for example to how he phrases the finale's theme, urgent yet playful, and it's always a joy to hear Geraldine Walter's viola sing through the texture. It's a performance that highlights the classical heritage and taut discipline of Brahms's writing. Contrapuntal lines are played off against one another to produce tension but none of the conflict which more overtly romantic performances can produce and the several fugato passages are particularly successful. That's not to say, though, that it wants for drama – without ever losing control, the players can unleash power with the best of them (listen, for example, to the build-up in the first movement's development and the big writing in the scherzo).

The results are predictably every bit as fine for the Quartet Op.52 No.2. And as several commentators wrote when the first disc by the Takács came out on Hyperion (a very well received couple of Schubert quartets), it's great news for the British label to have on their books this great quartet which now, after another change of personal (Walter has only been on board for two years) seems to have found the perfect balance, in temprament and timbre, between its players. It's good news for the quartet too, to have a label behind them that has always had an unparalleled commitment to chamber music.

The quartet on the disc is essentially a more lyrical work than the quintet and Dusinberre sings out his various melodic lines in the first movement with wonderful sweetness, and he's matched by his colleagues (listen to the wistful viola counterpoint starting at 1'15, for example). The quietly reflective Andante moderato gives us yet another opportunity to marvel at the detail and subtlety of the Takács' playing. The contrasts in the central section between the anguished minor outbursts and the meltingly beautiful return to lyricism are beautifully captured. The lightness they bring to the formally adventurous third movement and the urgency and virtuosity in the finale are no less impressive.

Although the Takács lack some of the tonal refulgence of, say, the Alban Bergs, they more than make up for this with playing which marries lyricism and athleticism; they have a seriousness of purpose but always with a glint in their collective eye. And their collaboration with Stephen Hough is hugely impressive. All lovers of chamber music, Brahms and music in general should snap this disc up and I hope we don't have too long to wait before their next release.

By Hugo Shirley







PerfectWagnerite

Who is Hugo Shirley ? VP of sales for Hyperion? That's what that review sounds like.

val

BRAHMS: The clarinet Quintet, the Clarinet Trio and the two clarinet sonatas by Reginald Kell.

To me, the absolute version. In the Quintet he plays with the Fine Arts Quartet. Everyone should listen to the Adagio of the Quintet: Kell is sublime.

In fact, this box with Kell's recordings in America, including Mozart, Brahms, Weber, Saint-Saens, Debussy, Bartok, is incredible beautiful.

To me, the greatest clarinetist of the century.