Brahms - 7 Fantasies Op116 [Grimaud] This disc was featured in my Blog 3 times in 2010, and as recently as last month [7th December 2010], out of Brahms Op116-119 the Op116 fantasies are the least known and liked by me, but in playing these today i hope that will start to change, seven pieces made up of three Capricci and four Intermezzi, lasting on this disc nearly 23 minutes.
Helene Grimaud, is a French Pianist, now 41 years old, this disc was recorded in 1995, again i have to mention the booklet front, a lovely pic [by J. Henry Fair], catching Helene in a startling pose, nicely well lit from the front and back.
Of all these 7 Fantasies, i liked the second one the best, a sad little Intermezzo, it opens with a dot-dot-dash phrase [0:00+], nicely hesitating, for me it's a lovely tease, but soon the piece deviates with a a variation [0:29+], with added notes on the end, and the hesitating gaps are filled, this piece is filled with two middle sections, the first is just superb [1:08-1:55], achingly beautiful, like raindrops from another world, and there's a nice little high treble shower [1:39+], which eventually slows down, this middle section is the very best of this little Intermezzo, then the second middle section starts [1:55-2:39], slower at first, but there's another lovely phrase near the beginning [2:08-2:20], very gentle and sweet, and the original opening at the start returns to finish us off [2:39+], a truly beautiful Intermezzo from Brahms.
Here's Helene Grimaud playing the second piece on YouTube.
