Brahms - 6 Klavierstucke Op118 [Grimaud]And yet more Brahms!, and more Helene Grimaud, last month i was impressed with her 3 Intermezzi Op117 [26th October 2010], i don't know why there's been such a rush of Brahms lately [7 discs in October & November], but his piano music is really seeping into my consciousness, and long may it continue.
Helene Grimaud now belongs under the DG label, really suits her artistic bent, she now seems to have total control over what works she releases on every disc, which are in the form of recitals, rather than logical clumps of works, but back in the days when she was with the Erato Label [and the Denon Label], she would issue logical couplings from one Composer, and i like this set of Brahms shorter pieces, i admit i like the new Helene Grimaud too, giving us the familiar and the unfamiliar on the same plate.
Again i must mention the booklet, a fantastic shot of Helene Grimaud [by J. Henry Fair], very well laid out, including the lettering.
The two pieces i was wowed with on this listen, are the two slow pieces near the beginning and the end of the set, numbers 2 & 5 [tracks 12 & 15], it's that romantic Brahms that gets me every time, very lyrical, but never sweet and sugary, always with a tinge of nostalgia and regret, i especially liked the fifth piece, it has a stately almost regal gait to it [0:00-1:31], like a slow solemn march, i like the way the treble is used more in the second half of this section [0:44+], the middle section is brighter [1:32-2:29], with faster music, and lots of trills added to all the statements, eventually the opening returns [2:46+], but this time the tune is stamped out harder in more glory, but soon returns to gentleness, it's a beautiful piece, Brahms knows how to tug your heart with such a touching tune.
Here's Evgeny Kissin playing Op118/5 on YouTube.
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