Brahms: Variations

Featuring

Olga Kern
Johannes Brahms

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Johannes Brahms's music is deeply rooted in tradition, a sentiment that led conductor Hans von Bülow to coin the phrase 'the three great B's of music' (Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms).

Composer Biography

Brahms composed five sets of themes and variations and three sonatas, all expansive scores, before he was 30 years old.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in October 2005 at Skywalker Sound, a Lucasfilm Ltd. Company, located in Marin County, California.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Brahms aimed to incorporate almost the entire classical tradition into his work while expanding it with techniques learned from Chopin, Schumann, and even Wagner.

Performer Biography

Olga Kern, the pianist on this album, won the Gold Medal at the Eleventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2001.

Composition History

The Paganini Variations, originally titled 'Studies for Piano,' were used by Brahms as both private exercises and public demonstrations of his virtuosity.

Compositional Technique

Brahms's variations, unlike those of Liszt and his followers, reveal a profound understanding of the form as exemplified by Bach's Goldberg Variations and Beethoven's Eroica and Diabelli Variations.