Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Six Pièces pour piano, op. 118
Variations et Fugue sur un thème de Haendel, op. 24
Quatre Ballades, op. 10

Olivier Roberti, piano

In many of his works for piano Brahms thought in orchestral dimensions. However, the highly cantabile and lyrical element in his works is equally important. Brahms applied himself intensively to piano technique, and studied the old masters such as Bach, Handel etc. He placed little stock in brilliant and ostentatious playing. Instead, he preferred ingenious aspects, was a master of counterpoint and of course of musical forms, which he was able to shape with subjective tonal nuances. His pianistic style is marked by widely spaced chords and arpeggios, doubled octaves, thirds and sixths, polyrhythmic passages, powerful outbursts of energy and contrapuntal writing.