Brahms - 4 Klavierstucke Op119 [Ortiz]

I've had this disc for a couple of years, and this is only the second time i've played it today, i found it on Ebay and snapped it up, the Collins label finished some years ago, but discs like this i never knew existed, until i see them pop up on Ebay, i love these short works by Brahms, they are full of wonderful invention, almost an endless kaleidoscopic range of colours and emotions, always something new to hear and discover, and a new favourite piece to fall in love with every time!, these bite-sized pieces can 'seem' easy to chew on.

Cristina Ortiz is Brazilian, she's now 65, and she recorded this disc in 1990, the front cover portrait [by Katie Vandyck], is really excellent, it's a great shot, i like the hands / arms, the lettering is great as well, it's a shame that the Collins label is now defunct.

Collectively known as 'Klavierstucke', which consists of three Intermezzi, and then a Rhapsodie at the end, this work got better the longer i played it, and it was the last of these pieces that i found the most thrilling, it's in the 'heroic' key of E Flat Major, and here Brahms gives us a barnstorming 'finale', it starts with hammering chords, punctuated with short treble runs [0:00-1:00], in the middle section there's this delicate waltz like number in the treble [1:38-2:20], and later a bass version of the main tune [2:48-3:03], that's a really neat touch, a quirky variation, it doesn't last for long, and sort of transforms into something different, and this is the nature of the piece, it's a Rhapsody, and it goes all over the place, the opening comes back, like a carillon of bells in a bell tower, Brahms gives us a finale where the chords go from the bass to the treble [4:26-4:35], a very emphatic piece of music.

Here's Ryan Malone playing the Rhapsodie on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Concerto [Repin/ Chailly-Gewandhaus Orchester]

And yet another disc that gets its maiden voyage here, i have ten discs in my collection of this Concerto, and none of them are a clear 'winner' / favourite, so it's good to have a new disc, and certainly the Repin / Chailly combination is a good one, at one time i would have called this my favourite Concerto, i'm really not sure now, certainly i play Bruch or Mendelssohn more, but the Brahms is full of great things.   

Vadim Repin comes from Russia, he's 43, he recorded this disc in 2008, the front cover portrait is a great one [by Mat Hennek], a dark brown & white shot, really sharp, you can see the individual stubble on his chin!, i like the lettering, also the back cover is well laid out, Repin on a park bench with his violin.

The big long first movement is really impressive, here it stands at nearly 23 minutes long, and i can't help thinking that Brahms is using the Beethoven Concerto as his model, the timings are eerily similar, plus they're both in D major, Brahms Concerto starts fairly stodgily, but the solo oboe comes in [0:19+], a premonition for the second movement?, and the quickly the whole thing takes off with a real vibrancy [0:52+], the intro is fairly long [0:00-2:46], and yes i really can see the homage to Beethoven now, the almost up and down the scales practising, i do feel there's more 'tunes' in the Brahms, the orchestra at times play with such a might [9:08-9:34], but then afterwards can be so sweet [9:34-9:57], certainly Repin really does get inside the virtuosity of it all [11:37-12:37], and also the poetry / charm of the music [12:52-13:24], Repin gives the Heifetz cadenza in the first movement [17:29-20:58], yes it's different than the Joachim, takes some getting used to, but it's good to hear something fresh, after the cadenza Repin weaves some beautiful long lines, creating a gorgeous coda [20:58-22:17], before ending the whole thing with a flourish.

Here's Repin playing the Brahms Concerto on YouTube.

Brahms - String Quartet 1 [Melos String Quartet]

This is a lovely triple box set of the Brahms and Schumann String Quartets, though i certainly don't think that the Schumann Quartets are the equal of the Brahms, and only in that sense do i feel this is a bit of a mismatch, it would have been better to issue the Brahms on two discs with the Piano Quintet instead, however i must also admit that i'm warming to the Schumann works, Brahms's First is a revelation, fantastic stuff, and yet he agonized over it for a decade, constantly unsatisfied with it, the shadow of Beethoven hung over him, roughly twenty String Quartets went into the fire from the self critical Brahms, this performance appeared early on in my Blog [13th March 2010].

The Melos String Quartet are from Germany, they were together for forty years [1965-2005], and ended when their first Violinist died, they recorded these discs in 1986 and 1987, the front cover is excellent [by Susesch Bayat], the Quartet with their instruments in cases, standing in the archway of some ornate doors, the lettering nicely placed, and for once the large yellow logo dispensed with and given a minor role.

Ever since i really got into this String Quartet, it's always been the first movement that's really affected me each time, so surprise here that it's the second movement that i felt the most affinity towards, marked Romanze, Poco Adagio, it's the only movement in the Major [A Flat Major], there's a real sweetness to it, i can't help feeling that the opening tune would be something Haydn would write, the delicious melody played by i believe the cello [0:04-0:25], is then repeated to great effect [0:29-0:50], all the strings play different threads, but it sounds so good together, although it's in a major key, there's a wistful melancholy there too, the second subject is more darker [1:42+], but still with an underlying sweetness, it's lovely to hear the cello come back in with the opening motif [3:37+], the movement is over too soon, maybe Brahms should have had some sort of trio section in the middle, i'm glad i experienced this today, it's beautiful.

Here's the New Orford String Quartets playing the second movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Handel Variations [Schiff]

This is the very first time i've ever played this disc, and it's a beaut, it's a live recording, but recorded better than a lot of studio recordings, the audience are really quiet, but of course applaud at the end of the disc, and it's a great programme too, the Reger Variations are a welcome addition to my disc library, this is the first time i've ever listened to them, and they'll take some more listenings to get into, Reger is certainly a thick textured Composer, he really takes time to get to like, Schiff's Brahms is great stuff though.

Andras Schiff is Hungarian, now 61, originally a Pianist, but now he does conducting too, the booklet cover is fantastic, a picture of Schiff at the keyboard, superb highlights on the edges of his portrait, and his lettering in red, and the composers in silver, mimicking the Teldec logo below, this disc is now getting really rare, and it's good to have secured a copy at a reasonable price.

This was a wonderful experience, quite possibly my favourite Piano Variations of all time, and it was variations 4, 6, 12, 18-22 & 24-F that i found most rewarding, and just like last month with Gelber / Brahms, it's this clump near the end that got to me the most of all, variations 18-22, here's a synopsis of each,
Variation 18 [14:51-15:46] - Lovely treble tinkling's, nicely pronounced, lovely tune too, Schiff really caresses the thing.
Variation 19 [15:47-16:49] - An almost lazy carefree variation, again it's a marvel how Brahms uses the treble registers, also it hit me how incredibly good the piano is recorded here, rather than a front seat in the audience, you get the front seat, the piano stool!.
Variation 20 [16:49-17:51] - A duller variation, i guess done on purpose by Brahms to break up the monotony, but it ends in a touching thoughtful way, getting sweeter / calmer as the piece goes on.
Variation 21 [17:52-18:40] - Lovely rippling piano in the treble, mimicking water, one of my favourite variations, clear and crisp.
Variation 22 [18:41-19:42] - Very coda-esque, sounds like the day coming to a close, the treble notes are just so chiming / rhyming, no bass notes here, even the left hand is in the middle of the keyboard, certainly on this listening, it was the best variation of all, it really touched me.

Here's Schiff playing the Handel Variations on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 2 [Mullova/ Anderszewski]

I must easily have a dozen complete Brahms Violin Sonatas in my collection, and on the whole each one is another 'revealing' of these endlessly fascinating creations, Mullova is probably a midway point in my favourites, and i must admit i haven't listened to this disc since 2012 [8th June 2012], but it was so good to give this a spin today.

Viktoria Mullova is Russian, she's now 55, the front cover of the booklet is nice, two separate shots [by Brigitte Lacombe] and fused together i guess, Anderszeski wearing dark / black, and Mullova wearing white / light, is there a musical theme here?.

I would say the Second Sonata to only just be my favourite of the three, it's the first one i heard, and of course loved the structure of the piece, especially the middle movement, consisting of slow and fast episodes, it's also the shortest of the three, i also find that Mullova / Anderszewski are pretty swift, they don't hang about, and looking at the timings for my favourite half a dozen interpretations, with the timing for the whole Sonata, and then the timing for the second movement, from fastest to slowest, this is what i get,

Mullova / Anderszwski - 18:27 / 5:45
Chung / Frankl - 19:43 / 6:07

Belkin / Dalberto - 20:16 / 6:22

Znaider / Bronfman - 19:57 / 6:35

Perlman / Ashkenazy - 20:23 / 6:42

Frank / Serkin - 19:37 / 6:45

what i 'feel' i can now 'see' in the stats, Mullova is almost two minutes faster than Perlman, and a minute faster in the second movement than Frank, i also find that there's a tendency for Anderszewski to be cast into the background / shade, while Mullova is in the foreground / spotlight [another manifestation of the black & white theory?], also Anderszewski can be warm / passionate, while Mullova can be icy / precise, that's not to say she doesn't have warmth / passion in her playing, the part i like the best is the middle fast / slow coupling [2:05-4:35], the last part of the Andante gets so beautifully passionate and intense [3:02-3:33], Mullova finds a powerful sweetness here, the following Vivace Di Piu becomes a pizzicato masterclass, juxtaposing between bowing and plucking [3:43+], after an Andante / Coda of sorts, there's a final pizzicato bravura flourish to end on [5:34-5:44].

Here's Mutter / Orkis playing the second movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Handel Variations [Gelber]

This is a disc i've recently acquired, and this is it's maiden voyage, it's a recent series of re-issues done by Warner of their back catalogue, this one caught my eye with gorgeous photography of a park gate by Dariush Mohammadi, beautiful autumn colours, i know the Handel Variations very well, just doing a count, i find six different discs in my Blog alone, the work is endlessly fascinating, one of Brahms's greatest works ever, and 25 minutes of pure excitement and bliss.

On this disc Bruno Leonardo Gelber is new to me, he's Argentinian, now 73 years old, he looks like a cross between Evgeny Kissin and Liberace!, he recorded fairly extensively for Denon in his earlier years, producing a full cycle of Beethoven piano sonatas, but hasn't recorded for years now, he even recorded the Handel Variations later for Denon in 1992, which is a different performance, and one that i'd like to check out as well.

Like i say, these variations are endlessly fascinating, on the whole i found Gelber to be a slow Pianist, even though comparing his timings to my two favourite versions of this work [Ax / Sony & Osorio / ASV], they both take exactly 26:10, so only half a minute quicker!, maybe he just 'sounds' slower, but he's also enlightening, i always learn something new from another performance.

On this listen i loved variations 14, 19-22, 25 and the Fugue at the end, so it's this clump of variations near the end that really got me going, and this is what i find about Variations, certainly the Handel variations inparticular, each variation doesn't stand alone, but in essence each variation has its own 'prelude & postlude', the variation before, and the variation after, they're all linked, each variation prepares you for the next one, here's a synopsis of this 'clump' of variations,
Variation 19 [15:52-16:51] - I notice the staccato tendency of Gelber here, a reflective variation of nobility, i guess he needs a little bit more poise, a little quieter would have done wonders, but it's an 'aching' variation, love the way Gelber slowly works his way up into the treble.
Variation 20 [16:52-18:01] - An even slower variation, but something that 'glues' this clump of variations together, again a slow traverse up the keyboard.
Variation 21 [18:03-18:56] - A truly superb variation, trills of delight, the right hand chimes so well, the 1977 recording captured so well.
Variation 22 [18:58-20:00] - An aching variation that seems to be the announcement to the final of these variations, the most delicious chimes, Gelber gets this right, you should never play this variation too loud, there's an aching nostalgia about it.

Here's Gelber playing the Handel Variations on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 2 [Amoyal/Roge] 

Another disc of Brahms's Violin Sonatas, i must have a dozen versions now, but my love of these works can keep a dozen versions on rotation fairly easily, and this one has not been played much, a fairly recent acquisition [2005, yeah that's recent for me!], and so it's good to hear what Amoyal has to say, all of these three Sonatas were so very good, but the Second just pips the First, it used to be my favourite, but now the other two are so close that they're probably all equally loved.

Pierre Amoyal is French, he's now 63, and he made this recording in 1990, the front cover shows a black & white shot [by Mary Robert], the background of the shot has some nasty clutter, and the blue coloured theme is nice enough i guess, overall it's well composed.

On this listen it was the last two movements i enjoyed the most, and my favourite has always been the second movement, it rocks back and forth between slow and fast [Andante Tranquillo / Vivace / Andante / Vivace Di Piu / Andante / Vivace], as the movement lasts roughly 6 minutes, it would be very symmetrical for each section to last one minute, and in a way it is at least symmetrical, if you consider that the last Vivace is only a 10 second last hurrah, then all the other sections do indeed last roughly 1 minute, except the middle Andante which last 2, and i guess it's this central section that has more weight to it than the others, here's a rundown of the timings, it gives an idea of the building blocks of the movement, 

Andante Tranquillo = 0:00-1:13 [1:13]

Vivace = 1:13-2:12 [0:59]

Andante = 2:13-4:13 [2:00]

Vivace Di Piu = 4:14-5:09 [0:55]

Andante = 5:10-6:15 [1:05]

Vivace = 6:15-6:25 [0:10]

and with this in mind i would like to comment on these sections,

Andante Tranquillo - introducing us to the beautiful theme of the movement, i think Amoyal plays it a touch too fast, it's something that should be savoured, but it's gorgeous.

Vivace - of course in contrast a faster section, and the slow / fast nicely play against each other, the piano is more up front, it's certainly a nice rhythm.

Andante - but of course it gives way to the opening again, and right away you can see this rocking back and forth  is a tremendous device, this middle section is different however, in that it lasts twice as long as the first, there's a sort of 'coda' if you like [3:22+], where the violin goes into extra raptures, probably the most heartfelt moment of the movement.

Vivace Di Piu - and again in contrast there's an equally impressive virtuoso section, this time the violin is pizzicato, it makes a wonderful contrast, and even the violin rocks back and forth between pizzicato and bowing, tremendous. 

Andante - and back to the slower Andante, this time it has a sense of finality to it, and it 'sort' of ends on this slow note, but...

Vivace - a short Vivace finale, only lasting 10 seconds, but it puts a final cap on such a wonderful movement of Chamber Music.

Here's Anne-Sophie Mutter playing the second movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Six Klavierstucke-Op118 [Grimaud] 

This disc includes all of Brahms's shorter pieces with the opus numbers 116-119, all neatly and conveniently fitted onto one disc, and it's this work on it [Op118], that includes my most viewed Blog webpage of all [7th November 2010], and if you type in Grimaud + Brahms into Google, then guess what comes up as the second image?, it drives some nice traffic to my site, this is certainly a treasured disc in every way, great music, great quantity, great interpretations, and a great visual package too, i got this disc in late 2007, so it's still fairly new-ish to me, but i can see a decade further down the road it will become a truly treasured disc.

Helene Grimaud is French, she's now  43, though she still looks fabulously young, she made this recording in 1995, the front cover picture [by J Henry Fair] is one of the delights of this issue, catching Grimaud in a stunning portrait, face really lit well, as well as her hair behind caught in a sort of silhouette glow, the lettering is nicely placed and well laid out, altogether a terrific issue.

On this listen it was 2 & 5 that were so poetic, and even though i've played this piece to death, and it's appeared so many times as a favourite, it's Op118 / 2 which i found so treasurable, there's this real heartbreak the way Grimaud plays it, Brahms is truly a genius, and i like the piano sound, it adds to the enjoyment immensely, Grimaud gives that teasing little hesitation on the first note, i like the way she doesn't treat this like some whisper of sentimentality, but is rather robust, letting the notes sing out real clear, at times it may seem a louder approach would border on making this piece some sort of grandiose statement, but i love her fortes, they bring a quiet power and dignity to the piece, i notice little hesitations which nicely weight certain passages, the opening melody really does have a sure finesse, the middle section has that passage that sounds just like a middle section of a Chopin Nocturne [2:51-3:14], just love that phrase, did Brahms subconsciously copy it?, and right after it there's a nice intense and firm crescendo from Grimaud [3:15-3:33], before bringing us back to the opening melody, and the delicacy of certain points are truly touching, Grimaud really has got the melody of the piece, it finishes on notes of real substance and satisfaction, bravo Brahms and Grimaud.

Here's on Elena Kuschnerova playing the Intermezzo Op118 / 2 on YouTube.

Brahms - Handel Variations [Tanyel] 

It was years ago i owned this disc as a cassette tape, and it was as this cassette that i first got to know these two works, and of course i fell in love with Piano variations through this, well it's only been recently that i've acquired this on disc at last, and it certainly takes me back to those wonderful days when these works were new to me, Tanyel has a certain way which i love, and it wasn't merely that the works themselves were great, the Beethoven work i haven't actually heard for quite a while, surprising really as it's so good, the Brahms work i hear quite often [as my Blog can testify], if you look at the back insert you can see that each of the variations aren't cued separately, this can be somewhat annoying, but i wrote down the timings and therefore i can know what variation i'm on, all told this is a lovely set to renew my acquaintance with, and a logical but strangely rare coupling.

Seta Tanyel is Armenian / Turkish, not sure her age, and this was recorded in 1989, the front cover picture is very nice, with Tanyel sitting at the piano, nicely lighted with a dark background.

A tremendous number of these variations really excited me, and i guess this is one of the points of variations [and not just for variety!], but that each variation will give a different angle to the theme, so a couple of dozen different viewpoints actually causes us to get deeper into the essence of the theme, rather like 25 people all giving their personal experience about a person, you really get to know what they're like, plus each variation takes you on a journey, and each subsequent variation adds / substantiates that journey, they build on each other, rather like a relay race where each runner passes the baton to the next, the Variations i liked the best were 8, 11-12, 14-15, 18-19, 21-23 & 25, they seem to come in clumps, certain variations prepare you for the next, so for instance variation 15 has as an 'intro' variation 14, the same can apply to 'outro' also, two variations side by side can be greater than the sum of their parts, here's a short synopsis of each variation,

Variation 8 [7:52] - A fairly complex Variation, almost like a Fugue, nicely sped up compared to the previous variation, a fairly frantic 39 seconds.
Variation 11 [10:39] - I love these more gentle variations, where lovely ringing sounds permeate the air, the second half of the variation has the left hand taking over the melody.
Variation 12 [11:47] - And straight afterwards a complementary variation that builds on the last, nice treble / legato work from Tanyel in the right hand.
Variation 14 [14:48] - A real scamper of a variation, playfully squealing away, the treble work is nicely executed.
Variation 15 [15:27] - A more serious and hard hitting variation, with some hard exclamation points throughout in the bass, and then in the second half those exclamations continue high in the right hand.
Variation 18 [17:32] - Another gentle and slower variations, sweetly and casually done, superb treble notes, like stars twinkling in the sky, i like the way Tanyel gradually slows it down at the end, giving it more of a tease / gravitas.
Variation 19 [18:30] - Casually done, it's longer than usual [1:27], and benefits from the last variation as it sounds like its more serious cousin, or maybe grown up perspective.
Variation 21 [20:57] - This is my favourite variation on this listen, truly beautiful, lovely ringing and trills galore, the right hand adds a nice backdrop, sounds like a fountain bursting forth its sparkling water.
Variation 22 [21:59] - And right after there's what i call the 'musical box' variation, and 21 & 22 are such superb companions, it's with this variation i feel there's a sort of coda-ish feel, as if Brahms is bringing the work to a close, you get the same feeling towards the end of Bach's Goldberg Variations.
Variation 23 [23:06] - And the last three variations give a whirlwind virtuosity before the Fugue kicks in, a nice stamping variation, blocks of notes.
Variation 25 [24:17] - The final variation has well... a certain finality to it!, one last shout of exclamation, one last showing off, loads of notes, a pure indulgence of virtuosity.

Here's Seta Tanyel playing the Handel Variations on YouTube, the timings above refer to this video.

Brahms - 4 Ballades [Dalberto] 

This is my one hundredth Blog entry for Brahms, it has been neck and neck between Beethoven and Brahms to reach 100, i always wondered who would get there first, and it's a surprise in a way, as Brahms remains my fourth favourite Composer [after Beethoven, Schubert, and Chopin], so maybe there's something more to the old bearded guy after all, let's see who gets to 200!, this is the second time Dalberto has appeared in my Blog with this work [2nd October 2010], and what a lovely disc this is, Dalberto has a certain way with Brahms, bringing out the real poetry and finesse of these pieces, it's still hard to believe that this is early Brahms [1854 when he was 21], as much of it sounds so much like the mature guy looking back nostalgically over his shoulder, i'm not keen on his Piano Sonata 3 [from one year before in 1853], and that has a tendency to represent him better in this era, mainly super virtuosity, but little poetic substance, i need to delve more into Dalberto, as he seems to really have his fingers on the keys.

Michel Dalberto is French, he is now 57, he recorded this work in 1982 at the age of 27, yes a 30 year old recording, but it still sounds great, the front cover photo [by Jacques Sarrat] is very nice, however these early Erato discs have a poor logo, crummy green borders, and the lettering is only fair, yet the whole thing still looks good.

It's always Ballades 2 & 4 which i find so mesmerizing, 

Here's Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli playing Ballade 4 on YouTube.