Accomplished in 1893, the Six Items for Piano, Op. 118 have been amongst Johannes Brahms’ closing works. They drift right into a world of dreamy introspection and wistful nostalgia. The lengthening shadows of autumn are at hand. Brahms devoted the gathering to Clara Schumann.
Op. 118, No. 2, the Intermezzo in A Main, is directly majestic, melancholy, and longing. Marked Andante teneramente (“tenderly”), it has been described as a cradle tune. Creating from the motivic seed of the primary three notes, the music feels as whether it is repeatedly trying to find a path ahead. With expansive phrases, the center part turns into extra passionate and stressed earlier than dissolving and discovering its manner again to the preliminary theme.
Right here is Emanuel Ax’s 1992 recording:
Recordings
Brahms: Intermezzo in A Main, Op. 118, No. 2, Emanuel Ax Amazon
Featured Picture: “Autumn Woods” (1886), Albert Bierstadt