Brahms: Piano Works

Featuring

Jonathan Plowright
Johannes Brahms

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Composition History

Brahms's Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 2, though published as his second, was actually completed before much of his Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1.

Performer Biography

Jonathan Plowright, the pianist on this album, is a Gold Medallist at the Royal Academy of Music and a Fulbright Scholar.

Critical Reception

Jonathan Plowright's previous Brahms solo piano album received accolades such as Gramophone Editor's Choice and was deemed 'a dazzling showcase for his superb talent' by The Guardian.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Brahms referred to his Three Intermezzi, Op. 117, as 'The lullaby of all my griefs,' suggesting a deeply personal significance.

Composer Biography

The Scherzo in E flat minor, Op. 4, is Brahms's earliest surviving wholly original work, composed in 1851 when he was 18.

Recording & Production

This Hybrid SACD recording was made in January 2014 at Potton Hall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, England, using a Steinway D grand piano.

Compositional Technique

The slow movements of Brahms's first two piano sonatas are both in variation form, a genre in which he quickly showed himself to be a precocious master.