Brahms: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1

Featuring

Barry Douglas
Johannes Brahms

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Instruments

For the earlier part of his career, Brahms owned an 1839 Graf piano, which had previously belonged to Robert Schumann.

Compositional Technique

Brahms's Op. 10 Ballades were inspired by Scottish Border ballad poetry, which he enjoyed in German translation.

Composition History

Brahms's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24, completed in 1861 and dedicated to Clara Schumann, was his first major compositional statement after his 1860 'Manifesto' against Liszt's 'New German School'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Brahms's solo piano output shifted from large-scale concert works to more inward and intimate short lyric pieces, which became his primary vehicle of expression.

Composer Biography

Brahms initially toured as a pianist-composer, playing a wide range of music and accompanying artists like violinists Ede Reményi and Joseph Joachim.

Composition History

Brahms composed his Op. 10 Ballades in 1854, shortly after his friend Robert Schumann attempted suicide and during a period when Brahms was wrestling with his love for Schumann's wife, Clara.