Catalogue

Summary:

“This is altogether very impressive playing, capturing all the intimacy of the pieces which Brahms labelled as Intermezzos, as well as the drama and urgency of the more outward-going Capriccios…What stays in the memory after listening to Owens is the imagination and warmth of his playing, perfectly captured by the recording engineers” ★★★★★ Instrumental Choice – BBC Music Magazine

“The highlights of Op. 118 are to be found in the second piece, which he turns into a true Lied…The two Rhapsodies are another highlight of this set…Owen conveying the requisite sense of power, surmounting their difficulties with ease and making the much-played G minor very much his own” – Gramophone

“Fully supported by Avie’s splendid recording, Brahms’ piano music glows. Owen performs miracles of textural lucidity, his tempos perfectly judged; but his highest achievement is to make the listener forget there is a middleman. It is almost as if Brahms speaks directly to us. The fascinating booklet notes are built around an interview with Owen. Competition is, of course, huge, with the likes of Angelich, Perahia and Gilels, but Owen has much to say, and does so in fabulous sound” ★★★★★ – International Piano

Steinway ambassador, Guildhall professor and co-founder of the London Piano Festival, Charles Owen turns to the late piano works by Johannes Brahms for his latest AVIE release. Within this collection of Capriccios, Rhapsodies and Intermezzi, Charles reveals myriad moods with the composer harking back as well as facing forward – from evocations of Schubert, Schumann and Liszt in the Eight Klavierstücke, Op. 76; winter-like darkness in the two Op. 79 Rhapsodies; Hungarian foot-stomping dance forms in the seven Fantasies that comprise Op. 116; nostalgic contemplation in the Op. 117 Intermezzi; romantic inflections in the Op. 118 Klavierstücke which were dedicated to Clara Schumann; and the tonally forward Klavierstücke, Op. 119.

Tracklist:

JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897)

CD 1

Eight Klavierstücke, Op. 76
1. No. 1 Capriccio in F-Sharp Minor: Un poco agitato. Unruhig bewegt (3.15)
2. No. 2 Capriccio in B Minor: Allegretto non troppo (3.34)
3. No. 3 Intermezzo in A-Flat Major: Grazioso. Anmutig, ausdrucksvoll (2.11)
4. No. 4 Intermezzo in B-Flat Major: Allegretto grazioso (2.14)
5. No. 5 Capriccio in C-Sharp Minor: Agitato in ma non troppo presto. Sehr aufgeregt, doch nicht zu schnell (3.27)
6. No. 6 Intermezzo in A Major: Andante con moto. Sanft bewegt (3.42)
7. No. 7 Intermezzo in A Minor: Moderato semplice (2.57)
8. No. 8 Capriccio in C Major: Grazioso ed un poco vivace. Anmutig lebhaft (3.36)

Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79
9. No. 1 in B Minor: Agitato (8.56)
10. No. 2 in G Minor: Molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro (5.55)

Seven Fantasien, Op. 116
11. No. 1 Capriccio in D Minor: Presto energico (2.10)
12. No. 2 Intermezzo in A Minor: Andante (3.34)
13. No. 3 Capriccio in G Minor: Allegro passionato (3.15)
14. No. 4 Intermezzo in E Major: Adagio (4.45)
15. No. 5 Intermezzo in E Minor: Andante con grazia ed intimisso sentimento (2.23)
16. No. 6 Intermezzo in E Major: Andantino teneramente (2.56)
17. No. 7 Capriccio in D Minor: Allegro agitato (2.15)
Total time CD 1: 61.08

CD 2

Three Intermezzi, Op. 117
1. No. 1 in E-Flat Major: Andante moderato (4.37)
2. No. 2 in B-Flat Minor: Andante non troppo e con molto espressione (4.38)
3. No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor: Andante con moto (5.41)

Six Klavierstücke, Op. 118
4. No. 1 Intermezzo in A Minor: Allegro non assai, ma molto appassionato (1.50)
5. No. 2 Intermezzo in A Major: Andante temeramente (6.06)
6. No. 3 Ballade in G Minor: Allegro energico (3.29)
7. No. 4 Intermezzo in F Minor: Allegretto un poco agitato (2.58)
8. No. 5 Romanze in F Major: Andante (4.00)
9. No. 6 Intermezzo in E-Flat Minor: Andante, largo e mesto (6.06)

Four Klavierstücke, Op. 119
10. No. 1 Intermezzo in B Minor: Adagio (3.50)
11. No. 2 Intermezzo in E Minor: Andantino un poco agitato (4.55)
12. No. 3 Intermezzo in C Major: Grazioso e giocoso (1.52)
13. No. 4 Rhapsody in E-Flat Major: Allegro risoluto (4.52)
Total time CD 2: 54.55

Charles Owen, piano