The Koroliov Series, Vol. 21: Brahms – Complete Intermezzi
12/6/2019, 19 Tracks, 1:21:33
Featuring
Evgeni Koroliov
Johannes Brahms
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Performer Biography
Evgeni Koroliov, born in Moscow in 1949, is an internationally renowned pianist who was a student at the legendary Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow.
Historical Context
The term 'Intermezzo' originally referred to short comic operas performed between acts of serious operas in the 18th century, before being applied to instrumental music in the 19th century.
Performer Biography
Composer György Ligeti praised Evgeni Koroliov's Bach interpretations, stating he would choose Koroliov's Bach recording if he could only take one work to a desert island.
Compositional Technique
Brahms used the term 'Capricci' for lively, virtuosic piano pieces and 'Intermezzi' for quiet, lyrical ones, a distinction he maintained in several collections.
Composer Biography
Johannes Brahms, a gifted pianist, published three piano sonatas among his first works but never returned to this genre, instead focusing on variations and shorter piano pieces later in his career.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Musicologist Philipp Spitta, highly regarded by Brahms, believed the Intermezzi were suitable for 'slow expressions of silence and loneliness,' suggesting they were meant for contemplation.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Brahms prefaced the first of his Op. 117 Intermezzi with a quote from Johann Gottfried Herder's 'Stimmen der Völker in Liedern,' describing it as a 'Lullaby of an Unhappy Mother.'
