Classical Music | Piano Music

Johannes Brahms

Intermezzo in E Major, Op. 116, No. 6, from Seven Fantasies  Play

Christopher Atzinger Piano

Recorded on 01/02/2007, uploaded on 01/14/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Intermezzo in E Major, Op. 116, No. 6, from Seven Fantasies       Johannes Brahms

For Brahms, 1892 was a productive year for keyboard compositions, as he completed both the Op. 118 and Op. 119 sets in addition to the fantasies that comprise Opus 116.  The seven pieces of Op. 116 balance individuality with large-scale cohesion...

The fourth, fifth, and sixth pieces of the set are all intermezzi based on the E Major/minor tonal area.  Both the fourth and sixth are tranquil in character and again highlight the A-B-A formal design with a more rhythmically active and contrasting middle section.  The fifth piece in the set is the shortest and perhaps most playful.  The 6/8 time signature coupled with frequent pauses on beats two and five create a gentle rocking sensation.  Brahms adds the performance indication, "Andante congrazia ed intimissimo sentimento" (flowing with charm and innermost feeling)...    Christopher Atzinger