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.

BachQ

#80
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAHMS ! ! !

Florestan

#81
Brahms is my favourite late 19th Century composer (well, along with Tchaikovsky and Dvorak, actually). I love ALL his music, but especially his chamber output, the most fabulous of its kind in the whole century, Beethoven excepted.

Three cheers for the good ol' beardman!
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

greg

Quote from: Steve on May 04, 2007, 12:17:12 PM
Ah, but we are forgetting the incredible, German memory. Alles nicht vergessen!  ;D
i wished i inherited the incredible German memory from my German ancestors  :'(
(i think i got my memory from my other ancestors)  :P

karlhenning

Ah! that explains the current WHRB Brahms Orgy

http://www.whrb.org/

And, they stream . . . .

BachQ

Quote from: Florestan on May 07, 2007, 03:24:30 AM
but especially his chamber output, the most fabulous of its kind in the whole century, Beethoven excepted.

Agreed!

BachQ

Quote from: greg on May 07, 2007, 05:57:19 AM
i wished i inherited the incredible German memory from my German ancestors  :'(
(i think i got my memory from my other ancestors)  :P

Greg, you remembered to check into the Brewpub . . . . . . that's memory enough!  :D

BachQ

Quote from: karlhenning on May 07, 2007, 06:00:15 AM
Ah! that explains the current WHRB Brahms Orgy

http://www.whrb.org/

And, they stream . . . .

Hey, that's a cool resource, Karl!

Steve

I consider his Piano Concertos to be among the greatest of the romantic tradition. While his chamber music and symphonies have always had a special place in my collecton, for me its all about those two concerti.  :)

BachQ

Quote from: Steve on May 07, 2007, 01:34:50 PM
I consider his Piano Concertos to be among the greatest of the romantic tradition.

. . . . . . and the Leipzig audience hissed at the premiere of PC #1 . . . . . . which is now regarded as one of the  gems of the repertoire.

For a good analysis (with audio), click here.

Steve

Quote from: D Minor on May 07, 2007, 02:17:28 PM
. . . . . . and the Leipzig audience hissed at the premiere of PC #1 . . . . . . which is now regarded as one of the  gems of the repertoire.

For a good analysis (with audio), click here.

Thanks for the link, D Minor

Are you aware of any other web-based Brahms resources?

Israfel the Black

I enjoy the Second Piano Concerto well enough, but I am surely surprised its more beloved than the First, which I find to be one of Brahms' greatest compositions.

BachQ

Quote from: Steve on May 07, 2007, 02:33:05 PM
Thanks for the link, D Minor

Are you aware of any other web-based Brahms resources?

I list some resources in the opening post . . . . . and those resources, in turn, contain links to other resources with links . . . . . and with links within links . . . . . into infinity . . . . .  :D

BachQ

Quote from: Israfel the Black on May 08, 2007, 02:47:22 AM
I enjoy the Second Piano Concerto well enough, but I am surely surprised its more beloved than the First, which I find to be one of Brahms' greatest compositions.

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 is in a class of its own . . . . . to which nothing is comparable.  Brahms knew that his First Piano Concerto was the greatest concerto ever written . . . . . and only recently are we beginning to realize what Brahms knew back in 1857.

Of interest is the story of Artur Rubinstein's obsession with Brahms and, in particular, Brahms First Piano Concerto:

Rubinstein was introduced to Brahms' music shortly after the master's death by the pianist Lotte Hahn playing the piano part in the C minor and A major Piano Quartets. For the eleven-year-old boy it was a revelation and a life-long bonding with Brahms took place.

"From that day on," Rubinstein wrote, "Brahms became my obsession. I had to know everything he had written... I would read with ecstasy anything of Brahms which fell into my hands. I would buy his music on credit; I would have stolen money to get it! When anybody wanted to give me a present, it had to be some arrangement for two hands of a symphony, or a volume of songs, or some chamber music by the beloved master... I shall never forget Professor Barth's astonishment when I told him I wanted to learn the D minor Piano Concerto of Brahms, Op. 15. 'What, what?' he exclaimed. 'You are mad, my boy - that is a formidable work, much too difficult for you!' Well, I discovered that real love knows no obstacles. A week later I played the Concerto, to Barth's amazed satisfaction... The music of Brahms has been close to me even longer than that of my great countryman, Chopin."


(from liner notes by David Dubal in Nimbus Record's "Grand Piano -- BRAHMS" pictured below)



Maciek

Quote from: D Minor on May 08, 2007, 04:05:25 AM
"The music of Brahms has been close to me even longer than that of my great countryman, Chopin."

Well, I'll be damned! :o

BachQ

Quote from: MrOsa on May 08, 2007, 05:05:48 AM
Well, I'll be damned! :o

Can you believe it!  Brahms > Chopin!  (I knew that would get your goat!) . . . . .  :D

Iconito


Quote from: D Minor on May 07, 2007, 02:17:28 PM
For a good analysis (with audio), click here.

Thank you, D!

I was afraid my English-listening wouldn't be good enough for this (I do much better reading than listening...) but this guy's pronunciation is crystal clear! (I didn't quite get that part about the penguins, though...)

I somehow wonder if this sort of intellectual dissection of the music (like "Listen! This is a variation on that theme from the first movement!" or "this has to do with Brahm's feelings for Schumann") really adds to the musical experience... As if knowing the inner workings of Iconita's lips' muscles would make me enjoy her kisses better... Understanding music = enjoying music? (Hey! That would be a wonderful thread! Don't you think?)

I greatly enjoyed it.  Thanks again!

It's your language. I'm just trying to use it --Victor Borge

BachQ

#96
Quote from: Iconito on May 08, 2007, 01:43:18 PM
I somehow wonder if this sort of intellectual dissection of the music (like "Listen! This is a variation on that theme from the first movement!" or "this has to do with Brahm's feelings for Schumann") really adds to the musical experience...

Well, if the goal is to ENJOY the music, "intellectual dissection" and analysis using external resources can heighten one's appreciation of those aspects of the music which are NOT otherwise OBVIOUS.  In reality, many masterpieces have much more to offer than what appears from a surface listen.  Still, one can enjoy the music completely without the aid of a score or other external resources . . . . . .

I think this BBC analysis of Brahms Piano Concerto no. 1 is among the best.  Having listened to, studied, and performed the concerto many times prior to listening to this analysis, I was able to squeeze even more appreciation/understanding of this complex composition.

It's really quite amazing that every motif in his 45-minute colossus derives organically from the opening theme . . . . . . . A trick Brahms picked up from Beethoven . . . . .

BachQ

Released on May 8, 2007:

Brahms: Quartets, etc / Fleisher, Emerson String Quartet CD
Eugene Drucker (Violin)
Philip Setzer (Violin - Stradivari - 1714)
Lawrence Dutton (Viola)
David Finckel (Cello)
Leon Fleisher (Piano)



This includes:

Quartet for Strings no 1 in C minor, Op. 51 no 1 (rec 1/2007)
Quartet for Strings no 2 in A minor, Op. 51 no 2 (rec 1/2005)
Quartet for Strings no 3 in B flat major, Op. 67 (rec 1/2005)
Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34 (rec 1/2006)


Iconito

Quote from: D Minor on May 09, 2007, 06:04:22 PM
Well, if the goal is to ENJOY the music, "intellectual dissection" and analysis using external resources can heighten one's appreciation of those aspects of the music which are NOT otherwise OBVIOUS.  In reality, many masterpieces have much more to offer than what appears from a surface listen.  Still, one can enjoy the music completely without the aid of a score or other external resources . . . . . .

Sorry. I didn't mean to actually bring that debate back. Excuse my silly sense of humor.

Quote
I think this BBC analysis of Brahms Piano Concerto no. 1 is among the best.

I totally agree. In fact, I'd like to have an analysis like that for every Work I own. Very, very interesting indeed.

Once again, thank you!
It's your language. I'm just trying to use it --Victor Borge

BachQ

Quote from: Iconito on May 09, 2007, 09:13:02 PM
Very, very interesting indeed.

Delighted that you enjoyed it!  :D