IDAGIO | Brahms: Violin Concerto & Piano Concerto No. 2 - Schumann: Piano Quartet 814337018276

Featuring

Bernard Haitink
Frank Peter Zimmermann
Vesko Eschkenazy
Henk Rubingh
Gregor Horsch
Emanuel Ax

Concertgebouworkest
Johannes Brahms
Robert Schumann

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Composition History

Brahms initially conceived his Piano Concerto No. 1 as a sonata for two pianos, and even attempted to turn it into a symphony, before settling on the piano concerto form.

Composition History

The slow movement of Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 may be a portrait of Clara Schumann and a requiem for Robert Schumann, who died in 1856.

Composition History

Robert Schumann composed his Piano Quartet in E flat major in just three weeks during 1842, a year he dedicated to chamber music, also producing three string quartets and a piano quintet.

Historical Context

After their initial meeting, Brahms cared for Clara Schumann and her seven children following Robert Schumann's attempted suicide and subsequent institutionalization in 1854.

Composition History

Brahms composed his Violin Concerto in D major in just a few months in 1878, intending it for violinist Joseph Joachim, who was closely involved in its creation.

Composer Biography

In 1853, a twenty-year-old Johannes Brahms, encouraged by violinist Joseph Joachim, met Robert Schumann and his wife Clara, a virtuoso pianist, a meeting that deeply impressed the Schumanns.

Critical Reception

The slow movement of Brahms's Violin Concerto, described by the composer as a 'feeble adagio', was not appreciated by old-school virtuosos like Pablo de Sarasate, who disliked its lack of soloistic display.