Brahms: The Final Piano Pieces, Op. 116-119

Brahms’ final works for solo piano are intimate miniatures, music that is private rather than public. There are 20 pieces split across four opus numbers (Opp. 116-119) published in the last years of the composer’s life, and, although there is the occasional glimpse of youthful fire, most of this music deeply introspective. For Stephen Hough, this music evokes the bearded composer sitting alone at the piano, playing only for himself. This is an imaginative and sensitive performance, with a rich variety of colour and personal expression that never sounds indulgent. There’s a freedom—a simplicity, even. Try the three “Intermezzos”, Op. 117, lullabies that can so easily be over-sentimentalised, and marvel at Hough’s unmannered poetry and profoundly moving musicality.