Idil Biret, the pianist on this recording, displayed exceptional talent from a young age, graduating from the Paris Conservatoire with three first prizes at fifteen.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Brahms became a champion of 'pure or abstract music', opposing Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt's focus on music-drama and symphonic poems.
Composer Biography
Johannes Brahms, born in Hamburg, began his musical journey learning violin and cello from his double-bass player father, before focusing on piano.
Composition History
Robert Schumann, a renowned composer, was so impressed by Brahms's music that he hailed him as the 'long-awaited successor to Beethoven'.
Composition History
The Piano Sonata No. 2 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 2, was actually written in 1852, a year before the Piano Sonata No. 1 in C Major, Op. 1, despite its later opus number.
Performer Biography
Idil Biret has performed with major orchestras worldwide and studied piano with renowned musicians Alfred Cortot and Wilhelm Kempff, and composition with Nadia Boulanger.
Composer Biography
As a teenager, Brahms earned money for his family by playing piano in establishments of 'doubtful reputation' in Hamburg's St. Pauli district.
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