Brahms - The Late Piano Music.

[pastoralguy]

May I be allowed the opportunity to invite opinions of recordings of music that I have long admired and loved? My motivation is Gramophone's award of 'Recording of the Month' going to Stephen Hough for his new recording of this music as featured in the newly published January edition. I've not heard it yet due to it being an early January release on Hyperion but I'm hoping it'll pop through the door next Friday or Saturday.

My first recording was Steven Bishop Kovecevich on Philips that was recorded in July 1983. Like most first musical loves, this is the recording I've always used as my benchmark with, alas, all others falling slightly short. Iirc, there have been other recordings of this music earning the accolade of 'Recording of the Month' in recent years and I have purchased them but they've not QUITE lived up to the standard imprinted in my brain by Mr. Bishop Kovecevich. (As he was in those days).

I'd love to hear others opinions and I thank you in advance for any contributions forthcoming.

[HighlandDougie]

In my very unhumble opinion, this reaches the heights of the sublime (and, showing my prejudices here, I doubt if Stephen Hough would ever get there - Steven Osborne, one day, yes):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brahms-Opere-Pianoforte-Arcadi-Volodos/dp/B01NB0AIYF/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=brahms+arcadi+volodos&qid=1577476579&s=music&sr=1-1

[Pulcinella]

The Opus 117 Intermezzi were my piano performance set works for NUJMB A level in 1968.
I found them jolly difficult.

[Joseph K]

I enjoy this quite a bit:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brahms-Intermezzi-Piano-Pieces-118-119/dp/B00AYH205C/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DURN1T6XVCN2&keywords=brahms+intermezzo+biret&qid=1577477828&sprefix=brahms+inte%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-1

[Pianorak]

Arcadi Volodos is one of my heroes and would agree with HighlandDougie. AV's Schubert is also well worth considering.

I was also impressed by this young Russian's Brahms: Piano Sonata No.3, Op.5; Klavierstücke Op. 116-119
Philipp Kopachevsky, especially the Op. 116-119.

[Wychwood]

I never tire of listening to Radu Lupu in this repertoire -- such respect for the music in his playing (imho), he never forces himself between the composer and the listener.

[Belgrove]

Late Brahms piano and chamber works are something of an obsession. Stefan Vladar (a pianist I’d never heard of at the time) produced a disc on the Harmonia Mundi label, which surpassed all in my collection until then, and has not been superseded since. I was surprised, but gratified, when David Owen Norris (I think?) selected it for BAL. Thanks for heads up on the Hough.

[pastoralguy]

In my very unhumble opinion, this reaches the heights of the sublime (and, showing my prejudices here, I doubt if Stephen Hough would ever get there - Steven Osborne, one day, yes):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brahms-Oper...s=music&sr=1-1

That reminds me of my Steven Osborne story...

I used to act as roadie for a local amateur orchestra in Edinburgh and we would occasionally play in Linlithgow, Steven Osborne's home town. On one occasion, we were playing, iirc, Rachmaninov No.3 with him in Linlithgow Palace. The entrance has a very narrow opening so I had to manipulate the Luton van to the side entrance. I started unloading the van which was full of Percussion instruments and, of course, no one from the kitchen department was there to help. I was aware that someone was playing the piano and was horrified to find Steven practicing Rachmaninov 3! Attempting to continue with my labours I tried to be as quiet as possible. Alas, not quietly enough since he came over to enquiry what I was up to. Apologising profusely for disturbing him, he shrugged and offered me a hand!

Having helped me unload four timpani, we got talking about late Brahms piano music whereupon I had Steven Osborne give me a personal recital of this music! Steven Osborne is a great guy!

[pastoralguy]

I have a Chandos cd of Bella Davidovich playing the Intermezzos which I remember enjoying a lot.

[richardfinegold]

I never tire of listening to Radu Lupu in this repertoire -- such respect for the music in his playing (imho), he never forces himself between the composer and the listener.

I bought the lps at the time and then when my lp collection was destroyed in a flood I waited impatiently for years in the pre download days for them to appear on CD. Now they can be had as part of a complete Decca Lupu set for the price of a latte. Not only is Lupu the ultimate poet but the recordings are exceptionally realistic.

[richardfinegold]

That reminds me of my Steven Osborne story...

I used to act as roadie for a local amateur orchestra in Edinburgh and we would occasionally play in Linlithgow, Steven Osborne's home town. On one occasion, we were playing, iirc, Rachmaninov No.3 with him in Linlithgow Palace. The entrance has a very narrow opening so I had to manipulate the Luton van to the side entrance. I started unloading the van which was full of Percussion instruments and, of course, no one from the kitchen department was there to help. I was aware that someone was playing the piano and was horrified to find Steven practicing Rachmaninov 3! Attempting to continue with my labours I tried to be as quiet as possible. Alas, not quietly enough since he came over to enquiry what I was up to. Apologising profusely for disturbing him, he shrugged and offered me a hand!

Having helped me unload four timpani, we got talking about late Brahms piano music whereupon I had Steven Osborne give me a personal recital of this music! Steven Osborne is a great guy!

Wow!

[Stanfordian]

I never tire of listening to Radu Lupu in this repertoire -- such respect for the music in his playing (imho), he never forces himself between the composer and the listener.

So true! Lupu is superb in Brahms.

[LeMartinPecheur]

With Brahms piano works as with most of the repertoire I've always had 100% coverage by top artists as an objective, but have tended to avoid complete boxes. So for Brahms the LMP shelves are a rather random selection, a Briiliant Classics box, bought to fill in some of the less-recorded variations the nearest to a complete set.

My LP start was mainly around the piano pieces op76 and 116-119 from Katchen's Decca Ace of Diamonds series, supplemented by DGG Gilels op10 and op116 (116/1 incomparable IMHO) and a couple of Pye Virtuoso discs by one Balint Vaszonyi(*) to bring in two sets of variations, Op20/1 and the Handels, then Arrau in the sonata Op2 and the Paganinis. Curzon in the 3rd sonata was a massive discovery (checking my card index 'system' reveals I have 7 recordings of this work, the others by Plowright. Grimaud, Bauer, Lupu. Solomon and Rubinstein).

I can manage at least 6 recordings of most of the Piano Pieces, some even on 78s. The most popular, unsurprisingly, is Op117/2 with 10.

(*) I believe I once heard a wonderful story on R3 of this pianist getting his cuff-links interlocked during a fast double octave passage!

[Ein Heldenleben]

That reminds me of my Steven Osborne story...

I used to act as roadie for a local amateur orchestra in Edinburgh and we would occasionally play in Linlithgow, Steven Osborne's home town. On one occasion, we were playing, iirc, Rachmaninov No.3 with him in Linlithgow Palace. The entrance has a very narrow opening so I had to manipulate the Luton van to the side entrance. I started unloading the van which was full of Percussion instruments and, of course, no one from the kitchen department was there to help. I was aware that someone was playing the piano and was horrified to find Steven practicing Rachmaninov 3! Attempting to continue with my labours I tried to be as quiet as possible. Alas, not quietly enough since he came over to enquiry what I was up to. Apologising profusely for disturbing him, he shrugged and offered me a hand!

Having helped me unload four timpani, we got talking about late Brahms piano music whereupon I had Steven Osborne give me a personal recital of this music! Steven Osborne is a great guy!

I honestly think Steven Osborne is one of the greats . I went to an all Ravel recital of his at Snape Maltings and I was amazed not just at his technique but his phrasing , agogics , voicing - the whole thing really. On the Brahms front can I concur with the Lupu endorsements? And also put in a word for Julius Katchen whose performances I return to time and again. This late Brahms is sadly rarely publically performed - not flashy enough I guess - but the pieces are a real musical test - particularly of chord voicing and weighting as there is a lot of ,for want of a better word , thick chord writing .

[vinteuil]

Late Brahms piano and chamber works are something of an obsession. Stefan Vladar (a pianist I’d never heard of at the time) produced a disc on the Harmonia Mundi label, which surpassed all in my collection until then, and has not been superseded since. I was surprised, but gratified, when David Owen Norris (I think?) selected it for BAL..

... yes, a big fan of the Vladar :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Klavierstucke-Vladar-Johannes-Brahms/dp/B0002XUWEY

also of the Rittner (five volumes now, I think that completes the set) :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004YG8F3U

.