Iván Eröd, a Hungarian-born composer on this album, fled to Vienna in 1956 after the Hungarian Revolution and restarted his musical studies there.
Performer Biography
Senka Brankovic, the pianist on this album, has won several competitions, including the Bösendorfer Piano Competition in Vienna and the International Brahms Competition in Pörtschach.
Compositional Technique
Iván Eröd's Brahms Variations, Op. 57, are based on Brahms's Intermezzo, Op. 116, No. 6, and include allusions to the styles of other composers such as Schoenberg, Webern, Messiaen, Bartók, and Kodály.
Composer Biography
Johannes Brahms, a composer featured on this album, was known for his exceptional skill as a pianist, which was evident from his early piano sonatas.
Composition History
Iván Eröd's Brahms Variations for Piano, Op. 57, were commissioned by pianist András Schiff, to whom the work is dedicated, and premiered by him in 1990.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Towards the end of his life, Brahms deliberately shifted his focus from large forms like symphonies to smaller, individual piano pieces, aiming to express grand gestures in a compressed manner.
Composition History
The Seven Fantasias, Op. 116 by Johannes Brahms, were not initially conceived or premiered as a complete cycle, and are still often performed individually or in selections.
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