Brahms: Piano Pieces, Opp. 76, 118 & 119; Fantasias, Op. 116; Intermezzos, Op. 117; Rhapsody No. 1; Rhapsody No. 2, Op. 79; Handel Variations, Op. 24; Paganini Variations, Op. 35
Published:
COMPOSERS: Brahms
LABELS: Philips Duo
WORKS: Piano Pieces, Opp. 76, 118 & 119; Fantasias, Op. 116; Intermezzos, Op. 117; Rhapsody No. 1; Rhapsody No. 2, Op. 79; Handel Variations, Op. 24; Paganini Variations, Op. 35
PERFORMER: Stephen Kovacevich, Dinorah Varsi, Adam Harasiewicz (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: 442 589-2 ADD/DDD (1969-85)
To a great extent, this is Brahms heaven. All three pianists are wonderfully Brahmsian, most of all Stephen Kovacevich, whose powerful performances are full-blooded and great-hearted – a really ideal Brahms player. Dinorah Varsi, too, is fiery and exciting and Adam Harasiewicz gives a virtuoso rendering of the Paganini Variations. Complaints: the rather odd tagging-on at the end of the first disc of the G minor Op. 79 Rhapsody and the inevitable fluctuation in sound quality between different recordings made between 1969 and 1985. Jessica Duchen
Authors
Jessica Duchen studied music at Cambridge University and was the classical music correspondent for The Independent from 2004 to 2016. She has also written for The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Times, BBC Music Magazine and the JC, among others.