Brahms: Piano Concertos & Solo Piano Op. 116-119

Brahms: Piano Concertos & Solo Piano Op. 116-119 cover $55.00 In Stock add to cart

JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Piano Concertos & Solo Piano Op. 116-119
Igor Levit (piano), Wiener Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann

[ Sony Classical / 3 CD ]

Release Date: Friday 4 October 2024

This is the first recording of pianist Igor Levit, conductor Christian Thielemann and the Vienna Philharmonic with Brahms' two Piano Concertos.

The release is a triple-CD album with Levit's recording of Brahm's late solo piano works opp 116-119. As a special encore Levit and Thielemann also play the four-hand Brahms Waltz op. 39/15 together.

After Igor Levit, Christian Thielemann, and the Vienna Philharmonic performed Brahms' First Piano Concerto at Vienna's famous Musikverein in April 2024 the Viennese newspaper The Standard wrote: "During these fifty minutes, an irresistible dose of emotion was conveyed - but at the same time the sophisticated structure of Brahms' masterpiece remained crystal clear." Four months earlier after their performance of the Second Piano Concerto, the Austrian newspaper Die Presse had declared that "Igor Levit sets a new gold standard for Brahms."

"Levit's utterly compelling accounts of the late sets are the more impressive element in this collection. He does not put a foot wrong in any of them; each piece is perfectly shaped, its subtly varied emotional charge instantly identified. It's hard to think of many better recordings of these 20 gems, and certainly not of all four opus numbers together." The Guardian

"there's still genuine magic in this album. The booklet notes burble on about Levit and Thielemann's natural rapport. Not something I'd have predicted, but it seems true. The opening of the second concerto is especially wonderful, with the beautifully played horn solo matched by Levit's tenderly nuanced response." The Times

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83
Fantasies (7 piano pieces), Op. 116
Intermezzi (3), Op. 117
Klavierstücke (6), Op. 118
Klavierstücke (4), Op. 119 - No. 1: Intermezzo in B Minor
Waltz in A Major, Op. 39, No. 15 (Version for piano 4-hands)
Brahms: Klavierstücke (4), Op. 119

7 Fantasias, Op. 116: No. 4: Intermezzo in E Major