Anyone who only knows Brahms from his grandiose orchestral music really does need to discover the intimate side of his musical personality. His most beautiful works might well be the chamber pieces he wrote later in life, including the four masterpieces Brahms penned for the clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld – alias ‘Fräulein Klarinette’. The two Sonatas, opus 120, glowing with melancholy, warm colours, and languorous melodies that nestle pleasurably in your ears, were written in 1894 during Brahms’ last summer retreats in Bad Ischl.
At AMUZ, Nicola Boud takes on the clarinet part. The pianist Anthony Romaniuk engages in dialogue with Brahms’ 3 Intermezzi, opus 117: “Lullabies for my sorrow”, as Brahms himself describes them, in which the composer wrestles with the autumn of his life. With their idiosyncratic gaze through a historic lens, the musicians reveal Brahms’ true genius.
Program
J. Brahms: Clarinet sonata in F minor, opus 120 no. 1 | Clarinet sonata in E? minor, opus 120 no. 2 | 3 Intermezzi, opus 117
Performers
Nicola Boud, clarinet | Anthony Romaniuk, piano (Steinway, 1875)