Brahms's masterpieces. Popular classical music.

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68Johannes Brahms

Brahms: 1. Sinfonie ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Stanisław Skrowaczewski

Brahms’s First Symphony, which he finally completed after the age of forty, came to fruition only after twenty-one years of deliberation from conception to completion in his effort to create a symphony worthy of succeeding Beethoven.

Crafted with fearsome care and burning passion, the work earned such high praise for its perfection that conductor Hans von Bülow called it “Beethoven’s Tenth Symphony.” Steeped in dramatic tension that seems to reflect Brahms’s own struggles, it embodies the trajectory “from suffering to victory.”

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HATSUMI

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Hungarian Dance No. 5 in F-sharp minorJohannes Brahms

Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.5

Johannes Brahms, a composer who epitomizes the German Romantic movement.

One of his signature works, the Hungarian Dances, is a collection of 21 dances composed on the basis of traditional Hungarian folk songs.

Among them, No.

5 is especially renowned for its fast tempo and striking melody, sweeping listeners into a whirlwind of excitement and exhilaration.

Its rich orchestration and vivid coloristic flair pay homage to the cultural richness and diversity of Hungary.

It’s a piece I would recommend not only to classical music lovers but to anyone seeking passionate music.

Four Serious SongsJohannes Brahms

Brahms – Four Serious Songs. Hermann Prey

This is a set of four songs composed in 1896.

As with A German Requiem, the texts were selected by Brahms himself from the Bible.

Songs 1 and 2 are from Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament, Song 3 is from Sirach in the Old Testament, and Song 4 is from the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament.

Song of DestinyJohannes Brahms

Brahms: Schicksalslied ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Collegium Vocale Gent ∙ Philipp Herreweghe

Composed between 1868 and 1871, this work is a piece for chorus and orchestra, with lyrics drawn from poet and thinker Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin’s Hyperion.

To the poem’s search for destiny is set music that, while powerful, also overflows with a sense of peace and consolation.

Two Clarinet Sonatas, Op. 120Johannes Brahms

Brahms: Clarinet Sonata No.1 Op.120-1, Part,2, Poulenc: Clarinet Sonata Part,1, Narihito Mukeda(Pf)

Composed in 1894, this is the last chamber work that Brahms completed.

In his later years, Brahms wrote several chamber pieces for clarinet.

Around 1890, he felt his own decline and lost the will to compose.

At that time, he met the clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld.

It is said that hearing Mühlfeld’s performances rekindled Brahms’s creative drive and prompted him to resume composing.

Scherzo from the F.A.E. SonataJohannes Brahms

David Oistrakh – Brahms Scherzo in C minor (III. from FAE Sonate)

The opening violin somehow evokes a sense of fate, and the piano rides on the passage as well, making a strong impact.

Like a rondo, this passage repeats, and it concludes brilliantly in the final coda.

There are even rumors that it was created in collaboration with Schumann.

Waltz, Op. 39 No. 15 “Waltz of Love”Johannes Brahms

Brahms Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 39 No. 15 – Evgeny Kissin

A gem of a piano piece from the German Romantic master Johannes Brahms.

Originally written for piano four-hands, it was later arranged by Brahms himself for solo piano.

With its graceful melody and warm, resonant harmonies that touch the heart, it is a work that seems to embody “love.” Composed in Vienna in 1865, when Brahms was in his thirties, the piece was immensely popular as domestic music at the time.

Recommended not only for piano students but also for music lovers seeking comfort.

Why not spend a heartwarming moment on a leisurely autumn evening with this soothing work?

Hungarian Dance No. 5Johannes Brahms

Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5

This is a collection of dances that Johannes Brahms arranged based on Gypsy music he came to admire while touring Germany.

Wanting to honor the folk music of the Gypsies, Brahms transcribed and compiled these pieces rather than composing them himself, so many listeners may feel they have a slightly different character from his usual works.

Among them, No.

5 is especially famous.

It has appeared many times in commercials, so even those who aren’t classical music fans have likely heard it.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 108Johannes Brahms

Brahms / Violin Sonata No. 3, Movement 1, Op. 108: Sengawa Avenue Hall

Composed between 1886 and 1888.

With some other composers’ violin sonatas, one sometimes feels that the balance between the instruments is off, that one overwhelms the other; but in Brahms’s violin sonatas the instruments never clash and maintain a beautiful harmony throughout.

This piece conveys the emotions Brahms was experiencing at the time—feelings of loneliness brought on by the deaths of friends.

After this work, Brahms went on to write many pieces in minor keys.

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 — I. MovementJohannes Brahms

Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 – Movement I – Karajan

Conducted by Herbert von Karajan, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

In opposition to the program music of the Romantic era, Brahms argued that music should stand on its own as music, asserting “absolute music” in the tradition of the Viennese Classicists.