Schumann: Piano Concerto / Brahms: Variations & Fugue on a Theme by Handel
3/9/2018, 4 Tracks, 59:11
Featuring
Sir Simon Rattle
Alfred Brendel
Wiener Philharmoniker
Robert Schumann
Johannes Brahms
Did you know?
1/7
Compositional Technique
Brahms's Handel Variations maintain the symmetrical sixteen-bar shape of Handel's original theme throughout its twenty-five variations.
Compositional Technique
The famous transition between the Intermezzo and finale of Schumann's Piano Concerto was a last-minute inspiration, initially conceived as just an isolated horn note.
Recording & Production
The Brahms Handel Variations on this album is a live recording from 1979, discovered later in the archives of Austrian Radio, which Alfred Brendel initially had reservations about recording in a studio.
Performer Biography
Alfred Brendel, the pianist on this recording, played both the Schumann Concerto and Brahms Handel Variations from early in his career, with the variations even appearing in his very first recital.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Brahms considered the bass line "sacred" in a theme for variations, believing it to be the firm foundation upon which he could truly invent new melodies.
Composition History
Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor began as a Fantasy for piano and orchestra in 1841, which he later expanded into a full concerto in 1845.
Interpretation
Alfred Brendel interprets the 'Allegro affettuoso' tempo marking in Schumann's Piano Concerto as 'affectionate' ('con affetto'), not 'appassionato'.
