Fantasies Op.116 (Piano)

Brahms Fantasies Op.116 (Piano)

- Johannes Brahms’s most frequently performed piano pieces, now available in high quality Bärenreiter Urtext editions

 - evaluation of all available sources

- reflecting the latest state of research

The piano pieces Opp.116-119 were written in 1892/93 and are the last collections of pieces which Brahms wrote for the instrument. Particularly noteworthy is his use of the “small form” accompanied by a heightened increase in musical expression compared to his earlier works.

Clara Schumann, probably the secret dedicatee of the piano pieces, wrote in her diary in November 1892: “a true source of enjoyment, everything, poetry, passion, fantasy, intimacy, full of the most marvellous sound effects […] In these pieces I finally feel musical life drawn into my soul again and play once more with true devotion.” A renewed critical evaluation of all known sources has resulted in small deviations from previous readings

The editor: Christian Köhn teaches piano at the Musikhochschule in Detmold. He specialises in the piano music of Johannes Brahms, as shown in his highly acclaimed complete recording of Brahms’s four-hand piano repertoire on CD with his duo partner Silke-Thora Matthies. For Bärenreiter he has already edited Brahms’s Serenades Op.11 and Op.16 for piano duet (BA 6570/BA 6571).