Brahms: Sonata No. 2 and 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24

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Description

Johannes Brahms and the Creation of the Piano Sonata No. 2 and Variations & Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24

Johannes Brahms was born on May 7, 1833, in Hamburg, Germany, and became one of the towering figures of the Romantic era — a composer whose music combined rigorous Classical architecture with a deep vein of lyrical warmth and emotional intensity. His early piano works in particular reveal a young composer of formidable ambition and technical command, one who looked simultaneously backward to Bach and Handel for formal discipline and forward into the full expressive possibilities of the Romantic piano. The two major works on this program, separated by nearly a decade of creative development, together offer a vivid portrait of Brahms finding and consolidating his distinctive musical voice.

The Piano Sonata No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 2, composed in 1852 when Brahms was just nineteen years old, is a work of striking boldness and scope. The opening Allegro ma non troppo, ma energico establishes the sonata's prevailing character — muscular, harmonically restless, and driven by a rhythmic intensity that would remain a hallmark of Brahms's style throughout his career. The Andante con espressione provides a moment of lyrical repose, its singing melodic line unfolding with a warmth and tenderness that anticipates the mature Brahms, before the sharp, propulsive Scherzo reasserts the work's more combative energy. The finale is the most expansive movement of the four, its extended introduction giving way to a wide-ranging Allegro that brings the sonata to a conclusion of considerable weight and drama.

The 25 Variations & Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24, completed in 1861, represents a far more refined and concentrated achievement. Taking a simple, dignified aria from Handel's keyboard suites as its starting point, Brahms constructs twenty-five variations of remarkable diversity — ranging from passages of delicate lyricism to others of dense contrapuntal complexity — before bringing the entire edifice to a close with a Fugue of formidable rigor and cumulative power.

Together these two works span one of the most formative periods in Brahms's development as a composer. The Sonata announces a young artist of exceptional gifts and ambition, while the Handel Variations demonstrate the depth and discipline that those gifts had achieved by his early thirties. Taken as a program, they make for a rewarding and substantial journey through some of the most serious and fully committed piano writing of the Romantic era.

Track List:

1. Piano Sonata No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 2: I. Allegro ma non troppo, ma energico - 6:12
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2. Piano Sonata No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 2: II. Andante con espressione - 5:20
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3. Piano Sonata No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 2: III. Scherzo. Allegro - 3:58
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4. Piano Sonata No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 2: IV. Introduzione. Sostenuto - Allegro non troppo e rubato - 11:14
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5. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Aria - 1:24
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6. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Fugue - 5:26
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7. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 1 - 1:04
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8. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 2 - 0:54
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9. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 3 - 0:48
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10. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 4 - 0:56
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11. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 5 - 1:28
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12. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 6 - 1:14
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13. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 7 - 0:42
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14. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 8 - 0:44
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15. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 9 - 1:34
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16. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 10 - 0:34
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17. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 11 - 1:16
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18. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 12 - 1:12
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19. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 13 - 1:56
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20. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 14 - 0:43
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21. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 15 - 1:00
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22. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 16 - 0:34
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23. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 17 - 0:40
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24. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 18 - 1:12
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25. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 19 - 1:14
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26. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 20 - 1:52
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27. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 21 - 0:46
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28. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 22 - 1:12
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29. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 23 - 0:36
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30. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 24 - 0:34
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31. 25 Variations & Fugue, Op. 24: Var. 25 - 0:42
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32. Total Runtime - 59:01