Friday 13 July 2012 8:00 pm
Brahms, einsam
Schumann: Adagio and Allegro in A flat major, op. 70
Brahms: Sonata for violin and piano no. 1 in G major, op. 78
Trio for violin, horn and piano in E flat major, op. 40
The life of Johannes Brahms as a bachelor was a life full of “farewells”. In 1856, he laid his mentor, Robert Schumann, to rest. Schumann’s wife Clara had been the young man’s first object of affection. Nine years later, he bade his beloved mother farewell in the adagio of his horn trio. His violin sonata bore witness to his grief for his godson, Felix Schumann, who died of tuberculosis at a young age.
Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov have received recognition for their subtle Brahms interpretations. Together they communicate the lonely maestro’s secrets. Teunis van der Zwart accompanies them on the natural horn, an instrument so beloved by Brahms that he taught himself to play it as a young man.
