Description
The largest of Brahms's three piano sonatas, this work is unusually cast in five movements, evoking symphonic scale. Its slow third movement carries a poetic inscription, blending lyricism with structural ambition, and it remains the most frequently performed of the three sonatas today. At around thirty-nine minutes, it showcases the full creative energy of the young Brahms.
Piano sonatas representative of the Classical and Romantic eras, including Beethoven's early works — substantial multi-movement pieces throughout.
About the Composer
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Johannes Brahms was a composer born in Hamburg who rose to prominence after being championed by Robert and Clara Schumann, later settling in Vienna. He fused classical formal rigor with Romantic expressiveness across symphonies and chamber music, and in his later years wrote many introspective piano miniatures. This site includes 25 of his works, such as intermezzi, waltzes, and ballades.
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