Robert Schumann, a German composer and critic, was enthusiastic about Brahms' Ballades, Op. 10, particularly praising the first Ballade as 'quite wonderful, totally new'.
Composition History
The Theme and Variations, Op. 18b, is an arrangement of the second movement from Brahms' String Sextet, Op. 18, and was written in 1860 as a birthday present for Clara Schumann.
Composer Biography
Johannes Brahms' piano works are categorized into three phases: 'sonatas' (until 1854), 'variations' (until 1863), and 'character pieces' (from 1878 onwards).
Performer Biography
Denis Kozhukhin, the pianist on this album, won First Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 2010 at the age of 23.
Composition History
Brahms' String Sextet, Op. 18, was his first chamber music work without a piano and marked his initial step towards broad public recognition.
Composition History
The Ballades, Op. 10, represent Brahms' earliest engagement with the character piece genre, concluding his 'sonata phase'.
Composition History
Brahms originally planned to title his Op. 10 as 'Ballades and an Intermezzo' but decided to include the third piece, an Intermezzo, under the Ballade title.
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