Tag Archives: brahms

Brahms Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2

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Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Johannes Brahms was a German Romantic composer, pianist, and conductor. He wrote solo piano music, chamber music, symphonnies, piano concertos, a requiem, and organ works. Some of his first compositions were written for the pipe organ. Brahms had a dream of becoming an organ virtuoso, but abandoned that idea because he struggled to play the organ well. Instead, Brahms became a piano virtuoso. He gave the premiere performances of his piano concertos. Brahms music is full of various rhythms, meters, and counterpoint. His introduction to Hungarian and gypsy folk music at a young age influenced his compositional style, and explains his fascination with irregular rhythms and use of rubato (robbed time) in his music. Brahms’ music was traditional in the sense that he used traditional classical forms when writing his music. His music was a complete contrast to the bombastic, showy “modern” music of the time such as that of Franz Liszt. Liszt apparently thought that Brahms’ music was too “hygienic”, and Brahms disapproved of Liszt’s music, apparently falling asleep during one of Liszt’s piano recitals during a performance Liszt gave of his b minor piano sonata. 

Julius Katchen (1926-1969)

Julius Katchen was an American pianist who is especially well known for his recordings of Johannes Brahms’ piano music. He made his debut performance when he was 10 years old, playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in d minor. Conductor Eugene Ormandy heard about young Julius and invited him to play in New York with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Julius Katchen studied music with his grandparents Mandell and Rosalie Svet until he turned 14. His grandparents taught piano at the Moscow and Warsaw Conservatories. In 1947 Katchen toured Europe and moved to Paris, France. He died of cancer at the age of 42 in 1969.

Julius Katchen’s solo piano recordings of the works of Johannes Brahms are very popular among pianists, and those recordings are often described as one of the best recordings of Brahms’ piano works. 

In this recording, Julius Katchen plays Brahms’ Intermezzo Op. 118, No.2 from his Op. 118 six pieces. I hope that you enjoy this beautiful piano piece. 

Johannes Brahms wax cylinder recording (1889)

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Johannes Brahms wax cylinder recording (1889)

On December 2nd 1889, Theo Wangemann (who worked for Thomas Edison) recorded Johannes Brahms performing two segments at the piano in the home of Dr. Fellinger.  The works recorded were a paraphrase of Strauss’ Libelle and part of Brahms’ Hungarian Dance no.1 in g minor.

For a time it was thought that the wax cylinder had been lost.  It was re-discovered in the 1980s.  Unfortunately the recording was almost entirely masked by noise.  Wax cylinders get more and more worn each time they are played.

In the 1990s, Jonathan Berger and Charles Nichols (two PHD students at Stanford University) were able to remove some of the noise masking the music in the recording.  Here is the wax cylinder recording that Brahms made in 1889.  You will need to turn up the volume on your speakers to hear what little  remains of the recorded music on the cylinder and use your imagination to fill in what is missing.  Enjoy!