Brahms Works For Solo Piano Vol 1

Douglas Barry

Brahms Works For Solo Piano Vol 1
Format
Audio
Published
24 April 2012
ISBN
0095115171622

Brahms Works For Solo Piano Vol 1

Douglas Barry

Catalogue # CHAN10716

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This is Volume 1 in a new series devoted to the Works for Solo\nPiano by Johannes Brahms, starting with a selection of highly\npersonal collections of Capriccios, Intermezzi, Ballades, a\nRomance, and Rhapsodies.

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The series also marks the first major project of the\ninternationally acclaimed pianist Barry Douglas as an exclusive\nChandos artist. Since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986\nTchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow, Douglas has\nestablished a major international career, and his reputation as a\npianist and conductor continues to grow.

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Douglas was the soloist in the 2011 recording of Nino Rota’s\nConcerto soirée (CHAN10669), of which International Piano said:\n‘For pianophiles, the headline message is undoubtedly “Barry’s\nback”. A complete Brahms series beckons, for which this definitely\nwhets the appetite.’

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Brahms wrote his set of four Ballades, Op. 10 (of which No. 4 is\nincluded on this disc) at the age of twenty-one, and at a time of\nmuch personal upheaval. His friend and patron Schumann had\nattempted suicide and been confined to a sanatorium near Bonn, and\nBrahms had been thrust into the role of protector and comforter of\nSchumann’s wife, Clara, while coming to terms with his own strong\nfeelings for her. Reflective of the difficult situation, this work\ndisplays a deep-felt blend of the dramatic and the lyrical.

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Perhaps the climax of Brahms’ activities as a composer came with\nthe Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24. This was\nBrahms’s first major compositional statement following his 1860\n‘Manifesto’ against the ‘New German School’. The choice of a\nbaroque theme, the strictness of the variations, the richness and\nscope of the piano technique, and the display of contrapuntal\nmethod in the Fugue, all combine to present Brahms in the role of\n‘Preserver of Tradition’. Even Wagner saw the importance of the\nwork, commenting grandly that it showed what could still be done\nwith the old forms by someone who knew how to use them.

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The predominant mood of the three Intermezzos on this disc is\nreflective and deeply introspective, which is in strong contrast to\nBrahms’s Capriccios, which are passionate, almost volatile, in\ncharacter. The Romance, Op. 118 No. 5 completes the disc. This is a\ntuneful piece, which displays the lilt almost of a folksong.

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Brahms:
\nRhapsodies (2), Op. 79
\nIntermezzo in E major, Op. 116 No. 4
\nIntermezzo in E flat major, Op. 117 No. 1
\nIntermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2
\nCapriccio in D minor, Op. 116 No. 1 Capriccio, Allegro passionato\nin G minor, Op. 116 No. 3
\nCapriccio for Piano in D minor, Op. 116 No. 7
\nRomance in F major, Op. 118 No. 5
\nBallade, Op. 10 No. 4
\nVariations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24

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Barry Douglas (piano)

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