2 Rhapsodies

It was during a summer holiday away from Vienna, in the tranquil Austrian lakeside resort of Pörtschach, that Brahms composed these two popular piano pieces in 1879. Of the two, it is the second, in G minor, that has proved a favourite with young pianists making their way toward concert-hall repertoire. And it’s not hard to hear why. The G minor is big and Romantic; it’s passionate and fiery, with a sweeping, dramatic opening (the melody is shared between hands, with the left crossing over the right—it’s technically rewarding to play) and a beautifully mysterious second theme. But in the B Minor Rhapsody, too, Brahms shows his ability to move between robust ideas that dig deep into the piano’s rich resonance, and satisfying moments of lyrical repose. Although both pieces move quickly and dramatically through their opening statements, they are tightly structured along traditional lines and are quite different from the free-flowing vehicles for virtuosity to which Liszt had previously applied the word "rhapsody". The title was suggested by Op. 79’s dedicatee, pianist/composer Elisabeth von Herzogenberg—and was grudgingly accepted by Brahms.