Johannes Brahms was just 19 years old in 1852 when he wrote his first two piano sonatas that he felt were worthy of publication. In these extended 4-movement compositions he built on the heritage of Beethoven, as was the case with his later symphonies.
These compositions are quite serious, and may require more than one hearing to be fully appreciated. Still they are important because Brahms was very critical of his own works and destroyed a lot of his own compositions with which he was dissatisfied.
We hear the following on this CD:
Brahms:
- Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 1
- Piano Sonata No. 2 in F sharp minor, Op. 2
- Scherzo in E flat minor, Op. 4
Performed by Alexander Melnikov
Alexander Melnikov was born in Moscow in 1973 and began his music studies at the age of six, at Moscow’s Central Music School, then continued at the city’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory from which he graduated in 1997.
Alexander Melnikov appears regularly in recital at the world’s leading concert halls with major orchestras. Besides his well-established duo with violinist Isabelle Faust, his other partners include Vadim Repin, Yuri Bashmet, and many others.
And… here’s a video of Melnikov playing the music of Shostakovich:
