All-Brahms
A program to celebrate the depth and diversity of the music of Johannes Brahms
Pianist Michael Arnowitt has prepared a special all-Brahms program highlighting the many sides of Brahms' musical personality. Hungarian Dances, the Ballade "Edward" (based on a British Isles folksong), a selection of Waltzes, the first book of his Paganini Variations, chorale preludes and more all bear eloquent testimony to the wide range and evolution of Brahms' composing.
As an added bonus, the program includes a brief piece by the Canadian composer Jack Behrens, "Aimez-Vous Brahms," an ingenious work based on Brahms' "Rhapsody" (op. 119, no. 4) -- the last piano piece Brahms composed.
A special feature of the program will be the complete sets of piano pieces op. 117 and op. 118. Written at the end of Brahms' life, these collections contain some of the most profound music ever written. Brahms is Michael Arnowitt's favorite composer: join him for a fascinating exploration of music that satisfies equally the mind and the heart.
Program -- Music of Johannes Brahms
Chorale Prelude op. 122 no. 3, "O World, I must leave Thee"
Ballade op. 10 no. 1, "Edward"
Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Book I, op. 35
Waltzes op. 39 no. 3, 15, 11, 9, 2, and 6
Hungarian Dances no. 4, 6, and 8
-- intermission --
Klavierstuecke, op. 117 complete
Jack Behrens: "Aimez-Vous Brahms?"
Klavierstuecke, op. 118 complete
Chorale Prelude op. 122 no. 3
(Note: it's not a proofreading error that the first and last piece of the program are the same. Rather, this is a little experiment in program design that people will hopefully find creative, a conscious effort to "bookend" the program by bringing back this rather mellow prelude that opened the concert, providing some solace after the wrenching elegy of the sixth and final piece of the op. 118 set, and bringing the program full circle.)
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