Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 5; 4 Ballades, Op. 10

Featuring

Stephen Hough
Johannes Brahms

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Composition History

The slow movement of Brahms's F minor Sonata is based on a poem titled 'Junge Liebe' by C.O. Sternau, whose opening lines Brahms included in his score.

Compositional Technique

Brahms's Third Piano Sonata uses the sonata form almost symphonically, both in its pianistic texture and musical content.

Composition History

The finale of the F minor Sonata includes a theme in F major that is a tribute to the violinist Joseph Joachim, Brahms's friend, based on Joachim's motto 'Frei aber Einsam' (Free but lonely).

Performer Biography

Stephen Hough, the pianist on this album, was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2001 for his achievements in music.

Composition History

The Third Piano Sonata in F minor, completed in October 1853, marked the culmination of Brahms's initial and only phase of piano sonata composition.

Composer Biography

In his early years, Brahms's instrumental music often hinted at external stimuli, unlike his later abstract compositions.

Composition History

Brahms's next piano work after the F minor Sonata was a sonata for two pianos, which later provided material for his Piano Concerto in D minor and the German Requiem.