WILHELM BACKHAUS (PIANO) PIANO MUSIC BRAHMS
Transcript of WILHELM BACKHAUS (PIANO) PIANO MUSIC BRAHMS
STEREO STS 15047
BRAHMS_ PIANO MUSIC_ WILHELM BACKHAUS (PIANO)
stereo Treasury) series
BRAHMS PIANO RECITAL WILHELM BACKHAUS
SIX PIECES, Op. 118
No. 1 Intermezzo in A minor
No. 2 Intermezzo in A mojor
No. 3 Ballade in 6 minor
No. 4 Intermezzo in F minor
No. 5 Romanze in F major
No. 6 Intermezzo in E flat minor
Capriccio in B minor, Op. 76, No. 2
Intermezzo in E flat major, Op. 117, No. 1
Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1
Intermezzo in E major, Op. 116 No. 6
Intermezzo in E minor. Op. 119, No. 2
Intermezzo in C major, Op. 119, No. 3
Brahms’s pianoforte music falls conveniently into two
groups. In the first are the sonatas and sets of vari¬
ations—large works into which he poured all the ex¬
uberant passion of a young romantic, often straining
the music, especially in the earlier works, beyond
the capacity of the instrument. Also in the first group
are the Paganini Variations, or ‘Studies’ as Brahms
originally called them, which came out in 1866. They
are at once an essay in virtuoso technique and a
final grand display of his youthful ardour.
A gap of twelve years followed before Brahms
wrote any more solo pianoforte music. The second
period opens with the eight Klavierstiicke, Opus 76
followed by the two Rhapsodies of Opus 79. Again
there was an interval of a dozen years until in 1892-3
there appeared the final group of works, Opp. 116,
117, 118 and 119, all consisting of short pieces most of
which are entitled either Intermezzo or Capriccio. In
this second period Brahms’s manner had shed its
early ebullience. The music is more concentrated, at
once severer and more profound in thought. In the
last books it has become an intimate self-communion,
the aging composer exposing his own soul with a
rugged honesty comparable with Rembrandt’s self-
portraits at the end of his life.
Six Pieces, Op. 118
Opus 118, which is played complete on one side of
this record, contains six pieces—four Intermezzi, the
Ballade in G minor, which is the most extensive of
these later pieces, and the Romanze in F major.
Brahms used the titles Intermezzo and Capriccio without regard tor their exact meaning. The Inter¬ mezzi are not interludes between larger pieces, nor do the Capricci greatly differ from them in character, except in generally being faster; and they are not noticeably ‘capricious’. The Ballade, on the other
hand, justifies its title by its dramatic style, though
it is less obviously narrative than the earlier Ballades
of Opus 10. The Romanze also fulfills its title with
a song-like melody, which is at first characteristically
placed not in the treble, but in the middle part.
All the pieces are in simple ternary form, the
central sections providing contrast of mood and tonali¬
ty and always being handled with an imagination and
invention that avoids any suggestion of a stereotyped
formula. The B major section of the energetic Bal¬
lade is an example of the composer’s sureness of touch.
It is a remote key and yet how right it sounds in
the context! And for all its pianissimo marking there
is no relaxation of energy or tension.
The first two Intermezzi make a natural pair in A
minor and major, the first powerful and masculine,
the second gracious and feminine. The A minor piece
is an example of the influence of Brahms’s physical
characteristics on his music. His hands were large
and powerful, and he evolved for them a technique
of his own which pianists less amply endowed, es¬
pecially in the strength of the left hand, find it dif¬
ficult to master.
The Intermezzo in F minor is one of the most dif¬
ficult to bring off. Its rhythm is flexible and it is
built up of short phrases, often in canon, whose im¬
portant notes (i.e. the notes that form the fragmentary
melody) are an octave apart. The last Intermezzo,
in E flat minor is, on the other hand, the most re¬
warding. This profoundly tragic piece is perhaps the
most beautiful and the most deeply inspired in
Brahm’s late pianoforte music—a self-portrait in the
Rembrandt style. It was this Intermezzo that Brahms
sent to Clara Schumann as a present on his own
sixtieth birthday.
Capriccio in B minor, Op. 76, No. 2
This is the most light-hearted and delicate piece in
the present recital, and one that is exceptionally
straightforward in rhythm.
Intermezzo in E flat major, Op. 117, No. 1
The first of the three pieces in Opus 117 makes a
perfect contrast to the preceding Capriccio with its
tranquil, lyrical utterance. Its main theme is derived from a German venion of a Scottish ballad, ‘Lady Anne Bothwell’s Lament*, contained in Herder’s col¬
lection of VolksUeder.
Rhapsody in B minor, Op. 79, No. 1
The Rhapsodies are more extensive than the other
pieces in this recital, excepting the Ballade in Opus
118. Although it is ‘rhapsodical’ in manner, the
Rhapsbdy in B minor is carefully constructed in a
free sonata-form (there is even a repeat of the ex¬
position which is, however, rarely observed), into
which two brief ‘Trios’ are introduced, thus produc¬
ing the effect of a cross between sonata-form and
rondo. The material is finally summed up in a
rather sombre coda.
Intermezzo in E major. Op. 116, No. 6
This piece is marked Andantino teneramente and
takes the form of a gentle minuet-movement with a
graceful Trio in G sharp minor.
Intermezzo in E minor. Op. 119, No. 2
The second of the four pieces in Brahms’s last book
of Klavierstiicke is one of his most subtle. The main
movement is agitated, the theme appearing in three
different guises. In the Trio in E major it is further
completely transformed into a waltz (Andantino
grazioso).
Intermezzo in C major, Op. 119, No. 3
By contrast with the Intermezzo in E minor, this is
a blithe, open-hearted piece, though by no means
without rhythmical complexities. Its marking grazi¬
oso e giocoso indicates its good-humoured nature.
DYNELEY HUSSEY
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1 W STS. 1504:
BRAHMS PIANO RECITAL Six Pieces. Op. 118
N°. 1. INTERMEZZO ic A minor (1.40)
N“j 2'lNJ^f,ME2zo ln A major (4.601 No. 3, BALLADE in G minor (3.35)
N°' VN„T„ERMEZZ0 in F minor (2 IS) m roiv’aNZE in F major (3.25) No. 6, INTERMEZZO in E flat minor 14.151
WILHELM BACKHAUS
4tereo Treasury series T ^ ^ +7 a i -iaa;
SPEED 33 Va Side
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BRAHMS PIANO RECITAL 1 cAPRICCiO in B minor. Op. 76. No.2 (2-60)
2 iNTERMEZZOinEJiatmaior.OpM17.No 1(4
3. RHAPSODY in B minor. Op. 79.N0.1 (7.4 5) 4. INTERMEZZO in E ma,or. Op. 116. No. 6 2.35 5. INTERMEZZO in E minor. Op. 119. No. Z 4. u K INTERMEZZO in C ma|or. Op. 119. No. 3'1 zu)
PROH
IBITED