Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 & Six Piano Pieces Op. 118

Francesco Piemontesi, Manfred Honeck, and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig continue their Brahms journey with a powerful new recording of the Piano Concerto No. 1, a work born from Brahms' personal and artistic crisis following Robert Schumann's collapse. The concerto's monumental opening, its psychological depth, and the introspective slow movement - often associated with Clara Schumann - are brought vividly to life in this interpretation.

Complementing the concerto are Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118, late works of intimacy, farewell, and distilled expression. From the warmth of the Intermezzo in A major to the darkness of the E‑flat minor Intermezzo, these pieces form a poignant counterbalance to the youthful turbulence of the concerto.

This is the sixth release in Piemontesi's exclusive Pentatone collaboration, following acclaimed albums devoted to Schubert, Bach, Schoenberg/Messiaen/Ravel, Liszt, and Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2.