Description
Brahms: Intermezzi Op. 117, Piano Pieces Opp. 118 & 119, Scherzo Op. 4 – Idil Biret, Naxos (CD)
Vadonatúj! Gyári csomagolásban! Fóliázott! Mint a képen! Vásároljon bizalommal! Foliaban! Brand new! Factory packaged! As pictured! Buy with confidence!
Product Details
- UPC: 4891030503540
- Catalogue Number: 8.550354
- Brand/Label: Naxos
- Composer: Johannes Brahms
- Performer: Idil Biret, piano
- Release Year: 1991 (recorded November 1989)
- Genre: Classical – Piano
- Country of Producing: Germany
Product Features
- Format: Audio CD, DDD (fully digital recording), Stereo
- Total playing time: 68:14
- Cover artwork: Hamburg (Topographikon)
Overview
These are late Brahms at his most introspective — the Op. 117 Intermezzi in particular, which Brahms himself reportedly described as "lullabies to my sorrows," written near the end of his life when the large-scale ambition of his symphonies and concertos had given way to something quieter and more private. Opp. 118 and 119 continue in that vein, a mix of intermezzi, a ballade, a romanze, and the closing Rhapsody in E-flat, which finally breaks the prevailing introspection with real weight and drive. Idil Biret plays this late-period material with a warm, unforced touch, letting the music's melancholy come through without over-sentimentalizing it. The disc also includes the much earlier Scherzo, Op. 4, written when Brahms was barely out of his teens — a genuinely useful contrast that shows just how far his piano writing traveled between youthful ambition and late-life reflection. Recorded in 1989, this is a well-chosen single-disc survey of two very different Brahms piano voices.
Interesting Facts
- Brahms reportedly referred to the Op. 117 Intermezzi as "lullabies to my sorrows," reflecting their intimate, elegiac character.
- Opp. 117, 118, and 119 were among the last piano works Brahms composed, written in the final years before his death in 1897.
- The Scherzo, Op. 4, was composed when Brahms was around 19 or 20, decades before the late piano pieces on this same disc — a striking stylistic contrast within one recording.
- Op. 119 closes with the Rhapsody in E-flat major, a work of far greater dramatic scale than the introspective intermezzi surrounding it.
- Idil Biret is one of the most prolific recording pianists of her generation, with an extensive discography spanning the core Romantic piano repertoire.
Track Listing
Three Intermezzi, Op. 117
- No. 1 in E Flat Major: Andante moderato – 5:19 · 2. No. 2 in B Flat Minor: Andante non troppo e con molto espressione – 4:52 · 3. No. 3 in C Sharp Minor: Andante con moto – 6:06
Piano Pieces, Op. 118
- Intermezzo in A Minor: Allegro non assai, ma molto appassionato – 2:03 · 5. Intermezzo in A Major: Andante teneramente – 5:18 · 6. Ballade in G Minor: Allegro energico – 3:44 · 7. Intermezzo in F Minor: Allegretto un poco agitato – 3:14 · 8. Romanze in F Major: Andante – 4:01 · 9. Intermezzo in E Flat Major: Andante. Largo e mesto – 5:42
Piano Pieces, Op. 119
- Intermezzo in B Minor: Adagio – 4:10 · 11. Intermezzo in E Minor: Andantino un poco agitato – 4:33 · 12. Intermezzo in C Major: Grazioso e giocoso – 1:41 · 13. Rhapsody in E Flat Major: Allegro risoluto – 6:23
Scherzo, Op. 4
- Rasch und Feurig – 11:08
Publishers
Naxos, part of the Naxos Music Group, recorded at Tonstudio van Geest (producer Martin Sauer, music notes Keith Anderson). Distributed by MVD Music and Video Distribution GmbH, Unterhaching/Munich, Germany.
Enjoyed it? A short review helps other Brahms listeners decide.
