Sunday 18 January 2009

A rare excursion for me into Brahms, yesterday evening with the 2nd piano concerto and Solomon's famous 1947 recording for EMI. Alas, I think my Brahms days are over. I find his music too noisy and turgid, and the unceasing bursts of energy debilitating. It was a relief to return to Spohr and Wieniawski! With many exceptions (particularly for Bruckner and Wagner) I am less and less keen on the German Romantics; even Beethoven now gets in only because of some of his string quartets and piano sonatas. The Brahms symphones (cf Mahler) yield for me only isolated movements: the first and last movement of the fourth symphony, the third movement of the third symphony, etc.

This weekend again features two kilos of moules marinières, thanks to Wm Morrison's supermarket. Truly excellent.

3 comments:

oisfetz said...

Harry; don't say that you don't like Brahms chamber music! It's his best, and no one of his chamber is boring or too heavy. I've all his chamber on historical recordings, and I wouldn't leave them from nothing. Also his piano variations on Haendel and Paganini are fantastic IMO. And your 122 versions of his v.c.?

Anonymous said...

If I didn't know your views on organ music I'd suggest that listening to his final work, the organ Chorale Preludes, modelled on JSB but pure 19th century. They might change your mind about Brahms. Instead I'll leave it to his 2nd Piano Concerto, one of the most original (and difficult) ever written. Just listen to Gilels playing them under Horenstein on DG. Still my favourite of multiple recordings.

Harry Collier said...

Hummm ... Brahms on the organ. Probably preferable to Stockhausen on the harpsichord, however.