Classical Music | Piano Music

Johannes Brahms

Intermezzo No. 2 in A Major, from Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118  Play

Alpin Hong Piano

Recorded on 02/21/2006, uploaded on 01/25/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Intermezzo No. 2 (from Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118)       Johannes Brahms

The ultimate representative of German romanticism was Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), whom many hailed as the successor to Beethoven.  He used established techniques such as counterpoint in ways that emphasized the music's beauty and strength rather than sheer compositional complexity.  His late works, such as the Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118, reveal his genius for thematic transformation and development, as his melodies often consist of as few as three notes.  The A Major Intermezzo fromBrahms Op. 118 is one of the most poignant piano compositions; its tragic melodic beauty cloaks an underlying structural complexity.  The middle section is a mini-intermezzo, with contrapuntal melodies in the treble and bass vying for aural recognition.    Alpin Hong