Ravinia 2021 - Issue 1

7:30 PM MONDAY, JULY 5, 2021 GARRICK OHLSSON, piano The Breadth of Brahms for Solo Piano Part 2 of 4 Two Rhapsodies, op. 79 No. 1 in B minor No. 2 in G minor Six Piano Pieces, op. 118 No. 1. Intermezzo in A minor No. 2. Intermezzo in A major No. 3. Ballade in G minor No. 4. Intermezzo in F minor No. 5. Romance in F major No. 6. Intermezzo in E-flat minor Two Ballades No. 1 in D minor No. 2 in D major Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Aria Var. 14 Var. 1 Var. 15 Var. 2 Var. 16 Var. 3 Var. 17 Var. 4 Var. 18 Var. 5 Var. 19 Var. 6 Var. 20 Var. 7 Var. 21 Var. 8 Var. 22 Var. 9 Var. 23 Var. 10 Var. 24 Var. 11 Var. 25 Var. 12 Fuga Var. 13. Largamente, ma non più There will be no intermission in this program. Making its debut across these concerts is a brand-new Hamburg-made Steinway grand, personally auditioned and selected by Garrick Ohlsson for Ravinia. Following its performances in the Pavilion all this season, it will reside in the Martin Theatre, taking the place of the recently retired Steinway that resonated under the hands of more than 200 different pianists over 28 Ravinia seasons. Ravinia is deeply grateful to Howard L. Gottlieb and Barbara G. Greis for the gift of this new piano and looks forward to its many years of making exceptional music. PAVILION JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–97) Two Rhapsodies, op. 79 Brahms composed the two pieces com- prising op. 79 during a summer vacation in Pötschach. The composer dedicated them to his close friend and former piano student Elisabeth von Herzogenberg. Classification of these two majestic works proved problem- atic for Brahms. Initially, he entitled the first “Capriccio (presto agitato)” and the second “Molto passionato.” The program at the pre- miere, given by Brahms on January 20, 1880, in Krefeld, listed them both as “Caprices.” Next, Brahms consulted Elisabeth about the title “Rhapsodies” for the published score. She responded, “As to your inquiry, you know I am always most partial to the noncommittal word Klavierstücke , just because it is non- committal; but probably that won’t do, in which case the name Rhapsodien is the best, I expect, although the clearly defined form of both pieces seems somewhat at variance with one’s conception of a rhapsody. … Welcome then, ye nameless ones, in the nebulous garb of rhapsodies!” The two op. 79 rhapsodies contain the often extreme emotional expression associated with the genre. Musical ideas, on the other hand, do not stream forth in a free, rhapsodic flow, but are clearly structured. The first rhap- sody, in B minor, alternates between the loud agitato opening theme and a quiet, lyrical theme heard in both minor and major keys. The second, in G minor, is a sonata-form treatment of the brooding molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro theme in G minor, the tempestuous transition, and the more sub- dued second theme in D minor. Six Piano Pieces, op. 118 When Robert Schumann wrote his 1853 arti- cle “New Paths” in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik , he proclaimed the young Johannes Brahms the new genius of German music. “Following the paths of these chosen ones Elisabeth von Herzogenberg with the utmost interest, it has seemed to me that, after such a preparation, there would and must suddenly appear someday one man who would be singled out to make articulate in an ideal way the highest expression of our time, one man who would bring us mastery, not as the result of a gradual development, but as Minerva, springing fully armed from the head of Cronus. And he is come, a young creature over whose cradle graces and heroes stood guard. His name is Johannes Brahms .” At the time of the article, Brahms was attract- ing attention as a pianist in recitals through- out Europe with the Hungarian violinist Eduard Hoffmann, known as Ede Reményi. The depth of expression in Brahms’s playing particularly affected Schumann: “Even out- wardly, he bore in his person all the marks that announce to us a chosen man. Seated at the piano, he at once discovered to us won- drous regions. We were drawn into a circle whose magic grew on us more and more. To this was added an altogether inspired style of playing which made of the piano an orchestra of lamenting and exultant voices.” Many of Brahms’s compositions for the pi- ano come from these early years of growing renown. Not only did he compose numerous sets of variations, three sonatas, and ballades and dances for the solo piano, but he also wrote for chamber combinations that includ- ed the piano. When Brahms left his native Hamburg for Vienna in 1862, his interest in solo piano composition shifted from vari- ations and dances to freer, more improvisa- tory pieces. Nearly all are entitled capriccios, intermezzos, rhapsodies, or fantasies. These works come from widely separated dates during his 35 years in Vienna: there were two sets of piano pieces from 1878–79 and four sets from 1892–93. Among the last group of solo piano com- positions were the Six Piano Pieces, op. 118. Brahms completed work on the set in 1893 at his summer residence at Ischl. It is possible that he had sketched some of the pieces ear- lier. The collection was published later that Johannes Brahms (1880) RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 41