The Haydn Variations, Op. 56b, conclude with a passacaglia, a form borrowed from Baroque music, which foreshadows the finale of Brahms's Fourth Symphony.
Compositional Technique
The piano version of Brahms's Haydn Variations, Op. 56b, reveals the building blocks of his symphonic style, adhering to Arnold Schoenberg's admired principle of 'economy but nevertheless richness.'
Composer's Artistic Vision
Brahms, among late 19th-century composers, had the strongest interest in earlier music, as shown by his work on the 'St. Antoni Chorale' from a 17th/18th-century military brass setting.
Composition History
Brahms's Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 23, are based on Robert Schumann's 'last thought,' a theme he noted shortly before his attempted suicide and admission to a psychiatric clinic.
Performer Biography
Olha Chipak and Oleksiy Kushnir, the piano duo on this album, met at the L'viv Music Academy in Ukraine in 1998 and have since won numerous international competitions.
Composition History
Brahms's Sonata, Op. 34b, was originally conceived as a string quintet, then arranged for two pianos, and later became a piano quintet, with Clara Schumann suggesting it needed an orchestra.
Composer Biography
Johannes Brahms was thrust into the public limelight after Robert Schumann, a prominent composer and critic, praised him in an essay titled 'New Pathways' in 1853.
You might also enjoy...
Brahms: Piano Sonata & Variations On a Theme by Handel, Op. 24
