Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15 (Live)

Featuring

Heribert Beissel
Ekaterina Litvintseva
Klassische Philharmonie Bonn
Johannes Brahms

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Performer Biography

Ekaterina Litvintseva's musical education began at a local music school in Anadyr, Russia, and later included studies at the Moscow State Frédéric Chopin College of Music and in Germany.

Compositional Technique

Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 is notable for its symphonic character, with the orchestra and pianist closely interlinked, reflecting Brahms's initial conception of the work as a symphony.

Recording & Production

This recording of Brahms's First Piano Concerto is a live performance from a concert in Meppen on November 29, captured during a tour of 13 concerts.

Composition History

Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 had a long compositional history, beginning as a sonata for two pianos in 1854 and undergoing several revisions before becoming a piano concerto.

Compositional Technique

In the slow movement of Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1, Brahms inscribed the words 'Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini' (blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord) in his autograph score, though the specific meaning remains unknown.

Performer Biography

Ekaterina Litvintseva, the pianist, spent her childhood and youth in the Arctic Circle, which shaped her pianistic sense of clarity, structure, and color.

Interpretation

Pianist Ekaterina Litvintseva prefers live recordings because the interaction with an audience creates an 'unexpected and amazingly beautiful' element that studio recordings lack.