I will admit that until recently, my appreciation for Johannes Brahms was limited. I had enjoyed singing the tenor part in many of his Liebeslieder Waltzes (Love song waltzes) and listening to his symphonies, but I would not have thought of him as being anywhere near the level of Mozart or Beethoven. That is, until I listened to his Clarinet Quintet recently. It was then that I heard with my own ears what the more experienced critics had been hearing. From now on, I will give Brahms the benefit of the doubt, and by doing so, I am sure I will discover some great music.
Once you catch a glimpse of a composer's genius, the composer gains your trust. From then on, you know there is a profound substance to that composer's work. We can never bypass this process of discovery, lest we find ourselves in the Emperor's Court.
I am sure all of the Brahms lovers out there wish they could relive what I am just now experiencing.
4 comments:
I wish there were a "companion CD" for these posts. Maybe something such that I could read the post, then listen to during the day...
A lot of these are on youtube. :)
You have to be careful, though. On youtube, you'll encounter alternate arrangements as well as amateur performances that do not allow you to properly experience the work. If I find a good version there, I'll let you know.
Also, there is Naxos. Catalogue No. 8.550391 contains a good recording, and it's the one I listened to. As a reminder, you can gain access to their entire catalogue for US$20 per year.
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