Johannes Brahms 24 Bit

Just like Johann Sebastian Bach before him, Ludwig van Beethoven played a significant role in the development of the cello. His five sonatas for cello and piano, three cycles of variations and the Triple Concerto all enhanced the instrument's expressive scope to an extent that has not been bettered to date. With his unparalleled ability to endow the instrument with highly lyrical and elegantly cantabile qualities, he blazed the trail for composers who would follow him.

The Musikkollegium Winterthur rounded off its 2018/19 concert season with a six-day Brahms Festival, during which – besides numerous other works by Johannes Brahms – the composer’s four symphonies were performed under Principal Conductor Thomas Zehetmair. Steeped in tradition and boasting a proud history dating back to 1629, the Swiss orchestra thus commemorated the years when Brahms was a frequent visitor to Winterthur and his compositions were released by the Winterthur music publisher Jakob Melchior Rieter-Biedermann. Eldest son of the successful Winterthur machinery manufacturer Heinrich Rieter, Rieter-Biedermann opened his publishing house in 1849 and the first two compositions appeared in 1856: Theodor Kirchner’s Albumblätter op. 9 and Hector Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été.

Along with composers like Alexander Scriabin and Frederic Chopin, Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) knew how to write for the left hand just as effectively as the right hand. With the focal point of most pieces being delegated to the right hand, most composers tend to assign the left hand the simple role of harmonic support. But you can tell, especially when playing his music yourself, that Brahms applied meticulous care to the left hand note selections. He was aware that, to a certain degree, the use of different or unusual notes in the left hand can alter the tone, character and color of the melodic line in the right hand, and used this to his advantage when composing.

Brahms composed his "Geistliches Wiegenlied" in 1863 as a wedding present for two friends of his, the famous violinist Joseph Joachim and contralto Amalie Schneeweiss. Brahms and Joachim both loved the sound of the viola, a chamber instrument that was only just developing a concert repertoire. This Classical composition was the starting point for the programme of the present CD, which combines original works for trio from three centuries in the formation voice - viola - piano, including two specially written vocal cycles by Sarah Nemtsov and Walter Zimmermann.

For their latest album, recorded live at the Reitstadel in Neumarkt, Christian Gerhaher and his long-time duo-partner, Gerold Huber, have revisited the songs of the great Romantic composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).

For their latest album, recorded live at the Reitstadel in Neumarkt, Christian Gerhaher and his long-time duo-partner, Gerold Huber, have revisited the songs of the great Romantic composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).

Music by Johannes Brahms for four hands would be nothing out of the ordinary as a recital programme given by the renowned Silver Garburg piano duo – but a concert featuring piano four hands with orchestra?

This new album of two piano quartets by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) consists of pianist Lars Vogt's last recordings. Before his premature death and between treatments, Lars Vogt was able to record a multi-award-winning album of piano chamber music works by Schubert together with Christian Tetzlaff and Tanja Tetzlaff, as well as albums of Mozart's and Mendelssohn's piano concertos. However, a project to record Brahms' complete piano quartets was left unfinished after the studio recording of Piano Quartet No. 2 was completed.

An unknown oratorio from Johannes Brahms? Since Beethoven it is regarded a standard of musical creation that a composer draws piano songs together into a cycle. Our Brahms program adds a new, unfamiliar variation: solo songs are intertwined with vocal quartets, choirs and piano music.