Johannes Brahms
Liebeslieder
Instrumental
Sleeve notes in English
CD
Released:
June 2017
Catalogue No.:
ODE 1295-2
EAN/UPC Code:
0761195129524
Best known for his gigantic orchestral masterpieces Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) took equal pleasure in writing smaller miniatures. In fact, Brahms wrote a substantial number of pieces for vocal quartet and piano; this ensemble was for him a vehicle for expressing warmth and positive emotions, and as such this genre remains one of the most beloved in his output. This new recording by the prestigious Latvian Radio Choir under Sigvards Klava features a selection from his Opp. 52, 64, 65 and 92, including some of his famous Liebeslieder-Walzer.
Brahms wrote his earliest waltzes for piano duet and published them as op. 39 in 1865. Some years later, in 1868–1869, he went on to write the Liebeslieder-Walzer for vocal quartet and piano four hands op. 52. These, in turn, prompted a ‘sequel’ in Neue Liebeslieder op. 65 five years later. These warm and vivacious songs are a happy marriage of Viennese waltzes and the love poetry of Georg Friedrich Daumer, and biographers point to a romantic impulse stemming from Brahms’s amorous enchantment with the daughter of his close friend Clara Schumann, Julia. Brahms’s vocal quartets with piano accompaniment represent an interesting chamber-music approach to vocal music. They give the impression of being created for the purpose of intimate music-making at home, among friends. The Liebeslieder-Walzer quickly became one of Brahms’s most popular works.
Brahms’s op. 64, a set of three partsongs for quartet, was published in 1874. Op. 92 belongs essentially to Brahms’s late output. Its first partsong dates from 1877 and the other three from 1884. Despite the time gap, the partsongs in the set form a coherent and consistent whole. Three of the songs explore moods of evening and night, and the autumnal meditation of the second partsong fits in well.
Award-winning Latvian Radio Choir is among the most prestigious chamber choirs in Europe. The choir’s previous releases on Ondine have been highly successful. The recording of Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil (ODE 1206-5) was chosen as the Record of the Month, Editor’s Choice and received a nomination in the Gramophone Awards in 2013. Similarly, their recent release of choral works by Valentin Silvestrov (ODE 1266-5) received Gramophone Editor’s Choice.