The opening of Brahms’ Intermezzo in B-flat Minor (Opus 117, No. 2) is astonishing. The piece is off and running from the start, suggesting multiple tonal regions. Brahms displays his mastery of ambiguity, that makes us feel as if we are being led in different directions simultaneously.
The twists and turns in the harmony rarely give the listener any sense of solid ground. Glenn Gould said he liked the Brahms Intermezzi for their “atmosphere of improvisation.”
Words cannot properly express the beauty of this music; here is Grigory Sokolov to show you the reason why it is beautiful beyond comparison…
