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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Brahms: Works for Solo Piano Volume 1
Brahms: | Rhapsodies (2), Op. 79 Intermezzo in E major, Op. 116 No. 4 Intermezzo in E flat major, Op. 117 No. 1 Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2 Capriccio in D minor, Op. 116 No. 1 Capriccio, Allegro passionato in G minor, Op. 116 No. 3 Capriccio for Piano in D minor, Op. 116 No. 7 Romance in F major, Op. 118 No. 5 Ballade, Op. 10 No. 4 Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 |
This is Volume 1 in a new series devoted to the Works for Solo Piano by Johannes Brahms, starting with a selection of highly personal collections of Capriccios, Intermezzi, Ballades, a Romance, and Rhapsodies. The series also marks the first major project of the internationally acclaimed pianist Barry Douglas as an exclusive Chandos artist. Since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow, Douglas has established a major international career, and his reputation as a pianist and conductor continues to grow. Douglas was the soloist in the 2011 recording of Nino Rota’s Concerto soirée (CHAN10669), of which International Piano said: ‘For pianophiles, the headline message is undoubtedly “Barry’s back”. A complete Brahms series beckons, for which this definitely whets the appetite.’ Brahms wrote his set of four Ballades, Op. 10 (of which No. 4 is included on this disc) at the age of twenty-one, and at a time of much personal upheaval. His friend and patron Schumann had attempted suicide and been confined to a sanatorium near Bonn, and Brahms had been thrust into the role of protector and comforter of Schumann’s wife, Clara, while coming to terms with his own strong feelings for her. Reflective of the difficult situation, this work displays a deep-felt blend of the dramatic and the lyrical. Perhaps the climax of Brahms’ activities as a composer came with the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24. This was Brahms’s first major compositional statement following his 1860 ‘Manifesto’ against the ‘New German School’. The choice of a baroque theme, the strictness of the variations, the richness and scope of the piano technique, and the display of contrapuntal method in the Fugue, all combine to present Brahms in the role of ‘Preserver of Tradition’. Even Wagner saw the importance of the work, commenting grandly that it showed what could still be done with the old forms by someone who knew how to use them. The predominant mood of the three Intermezzos on this disc is reflective and deeply introspective, which is in strong contrast to Brahms’s Capriccios, which are passionate, almost volatile, in character. The Romance, Op. 118 No. 5 completes the disc. This is a tuneful piece, which displays the lilt almost of a folksong. “Douglas's beautiful, rounded tone and assiduously effected tempo relationships will satisfy listeners who like a less classically conceived, more pianistically oriented Handel Variations...his cycle will surely be fascinating to follow as it unfolds.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2012 “A purple Brahms patch from this fulsome-toned pianist proves to be more than 77 minutes of warm, enveloping delight. Barry Douglas's approach is straightforward and eschews any temptation towards novelty for the sake of it; instead, he goes for the music's emotional jugular, enhanced by beautiful, rich tone and structural rigour...Douglas still allows his head to be led ultimately by his heart, which is what gives the disc its X-Factor.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2012 ***** “The performances on this disc indicate that Barry Douglas is a Brahms interpreter of some stature...I loved the reading of Op 117 No 1. This bewitching lullaby is played with the utmost...The prospect of exploring Brahms’s solo piano music with Barry Douglas is an exciting one.” MusicWeb International, June 2012 | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Brahms: Handel Variations
Twenty years after his last Brahms disc, American pianist Murray Perahia has chosen to revisit this great composer’s works with a new recording featuring the great Handel Variations, Op. 24, a work Perahia considers on a par with Bach’s Goldberg variations. Alongside this are key works from Brahms’ middle and late piano periods. The Two Rhapsodies, Op.79 from his middle period, form the centrepiece of the disk and are deeply Romantic. The album finishes with the introspective and autumnal Piano Pieces Opp.118 and 119, both from Brahms’ late period. This is music of a mature composer performed by a pianist at the height of his powers. Murray Perahia has been an exclusive Sony Classical recording artist for almost 40 years, and is one of the most sought-after and cherished pianists of our time. He is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, with whom he has toured globally as conductor and pianist. In 2004 he was awarded an honorary KBE by Her Majesty The Queen, in recognition of his outstanding service to music. Perahia’s previous recordings have garnered a Grammy® Award and several nominations, a Gramophone Award and a BBC Music Magazine Award. “A prince amongst pianists” Financial Times “Perahia deals seamlessly with the many subtle shifts of tempo, cementing the parts into a unified piece of light-spirited musicality that makes for a piquant contrast with the ten autumnal "Piano Pieces" from Brahms' late period, bridged here by the flightier "Two Rhapsodies".” The Independent, 19th November 2010 ***** “The virtuoso challenges of that set are met without ever drawing attention to their brilliance, and the way in which Perahia almost imperceptibly ratchets up the tension is exemplary...The Op 79 Rhapsodies balance power and poetry perfectly, the two sets of late pieces colonise their subtly different worlds with effortless ease. All hugely impressive.” The Guardian, 18th November 2010 ***** “[The miniatures] are held aloft by Perahia's unique ability to give each tiny piece close study and analysis, yet then to create a seemingly spontaneous flow of music-making. The B minor adagio (Op 119, No 1) is achingly beautiful, the G minor ballade (Op 118, No 3) fiercely impassioned.” The Observer, 28th November 2010 “Murray Perahia’s Brahms is outstanding in every way. He has the elegance to showcase the baroque inspiration of the Handel Variations, but also the sense of scale and architecture to encompass Brahms’s 30-minute musical journey...This is one of the most rewarding Brahms recitals currently available.” Financial Times ***** “Time and again Brahms's potential for strenuousness and opacity is clarified with a superfine musical intelligence and technique...I doubt whether the concluding and exultant fugure has often been given with a more formidable yet lightly worn articulacy in its entire history...you may well wonder when you last heard a pianist with a more patrician disregard for all forms of bloated excess of exaggeration.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2011 “Perahia brings his customary mastery to piano works by Brahms, a composer he is not usually associated with but whose blend of lyricism and rigour suits his gifts perfectly...Throughout, Perahia shapes the phrases in long-breathed arcs while bringing out every detail.” The Telegraph, 14th January 2011 **** “His long experience with Bach's keyboard works gives him a natural point of entry to the Variations on a Theme of Handel, which is taken at quite fast tempos...Yet Perahia never draws attention to the technical challenges, and the music seems to flow out of him with complete naturalness.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2011 ***** “The middle period Rhapsodies are beautifully rounded. with the composer's bold heroics matched with lyrical, poetic playing. The final ten pieces are intimate and reflective, played with an intense mastery that is wonderful.” Classic FM Magazine, February 2011 ***** “This an astonishing performance, full of superb understanding and technical mastery...His command of the work is complete” International Record Review, January 2011 “one of [Perahia's] finest CDs yet. The set of Handel Variations is both elegant and totally authoritative...Excellent, vivid recording makes this an indispensable example of Perahia's special identification with the composer” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition  BBC Music Magazine
Disc of the month - February 2011 |
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| |  | Brahms - Piano Music
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| |  | Henri Bonamy plays Brahms & Schubert
Henri Bonamy is fast becoming one of the most ‘in demand’ young talents of his generation, on the concert platform today. A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire he has played extensively throughout Europe and the Far East, in concerto and solo performances. He is a regular chamber music recitalist and his performing partners include Julia Fischer, Marina Chiche and Wen-Sinn Yang. | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Brahms - Piano Works
“Trenchant, focused Brahms from a formidable player...[Angelich's] performances on this disc are of a wholly exceptional drama, sweep and impeccable craftsmanship. Few young pianists have so little truck with flighty, salon-ish alternatives to seriousness, and his Brahms is sufficiently authoritative to make one long to hear him in the piano concertos.” Gramophone Magazine | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Martha Argerich, Debut Recital
“This legendary 1972 performance wonderfully captures Argerich's prodigious fluency and technical mastery. She plays octaves like single notes.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2008 “Here, on this richly filled CD, is a positive cornucopia of musical genius.
Martha Argerich's 1961 disc remains among the most spectacular of all recorded débuts, an impression reinforced by an outsize addition and encore: her 1972 Liszt Sonata.
True, there are occasional reminders of her pianism at its most fraught and capricious (Chopin's Barcarolle) as well as tiny scatterings of inaccuracies, yet her playing always blazes with a unique incandescence and character.
The Brahms Rhapsodies are as glowingly interior as they're fleet. No more mercurial Chopin Scherzo exists on record and if its savagery becomes flighty and skittish (with the chorale's decorations sounding like manic bursts of laughter), Argerich's fine-toned fluency will make other, lesser pianists weep with envy.
Ravel's Jeux d'eau is gloriously indolent and scintillating and the Prokofiev Toccata is spun off in a manner that understandably provoked Horowitz's awe and enthusiasm. Liszt's Sixth Hungarian Rhapsody is a marvel of wit and daring and the B minor Sonata is among the most dazzling ever perpetuated on disc. The recordings have worn remarkably well and the transfers have been expertly done.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“a snip at budget price” Classic CD | | | (also available to download from $6.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Glenn Gould plays Brahms: 4 Ballades, Rhapsodies & 10 Intermezzi
Brahms: | Ballades (4), Op. 10 Rhapsodies (2), Op. 79 Intermezzi (3), Op. 117 Intermezzo in E flat minor, Op. 118 No. 6 Intermezzo in E major, Op. 116 No. 4 Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 76 No. 7 Intermezzo in A major, Op. 76 No. 6 Intermezzo in B minor, Op. 119 No. 1 Intermezzo in A minor, Op. 118 No. 1 Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2 Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118 No. 2 Alternate Version |
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| |  | Stephen De Pledge plays Mussorgsky, Beethoven & Brahms
Stephen De Pledge (piano) New Zealand pianist Stephen De Pledge is one of the most exciting and versatile musicians of his generation. Stephen’s solo performances have taken him throughout the UK, including five solo recitals in the Wigmore Hall in London, where he made his acclaimed debut in 1999. He has also given solo performances in Hong Kong, Italy, France, Singapore, Japan, Australia and the USA. Stephen’s repertoire is far-reaching, from the music of the 17th to the 21st centuries. He has always been an advocate for contemporary music, and has given the world premiere performances of many works. Stephen has recorded previously for Champs Hill on a CD of chamber works by Messiaen, studying with Mme. Messiaen in Paris prior to the recordings of these works. “[de Pledge] brings to this CD his trademark transparency of touch. The sound is bright and firm as he beings the first promenade, and 'Gnomus' emerges with expansive breadth...And so it goes, each episode vividly characterised...The Brahms Rhapsodies which round off this impressive CD are a delight: the first is exquisitely nuanced, the second unleashes a mighty performance.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2012 **** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Brahms: Piano Works
Some lesser-known but majestic masterpieces here, in a disc originally issued in 1991 on the Olympia imprint and now available again at mid-price. The original review in Gramophone stated “This is an attractive performance, with mostly unhurried tempos……. and beautifully recorded” Born in London, Peter Katin’s musical talent was evident at the age of four, and he was admitted to the senior department of the Royal Academy of Music when he was twelve, four years before the official age of entry. The success of his Wigmore Hall début in 1948 started him on a career that has taken him throughout the world (he was the first British artist to give a post-war solo tour of the then USSR). He has now almost forty recordings, more than at any other time in his career, which have been received with critical superlatives. These include the complete Chopin Nocturnes and Impromptus, Grieg Lyric Pieces, Chopin Waltzes and Polonaises and the Rachmaninov Preludes. A live performance of a recital including the Liszt Sonata was released by Athene to a rave review in Classic CD. His interest in period pianos has resulted in three such recordings, as well as an all-Chopin programme on his own Collard & Collard 1836 instrument, and another on a Broadwood grand that was personally used by Chopin on the occasion of his last visit to London. “Katin was once one of British pianism's big beasts, and this CD, though short on the requisite soulful beauty, reflects his swashbuckling style. The Variations have compelling force.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2012 *** | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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