Customer Reviews

Brahms: Works for Solo Piano

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For me, Katchen has always been the consummate Brahmsian; I owned the original vinyls housed in a nifty London slipcase set, all the records in their own jackets. So, when Decca decided to re-issue the Brahms on CD (in their two jewel boxes), I was more than thrilled. I've been "living" with Katchen's Brahms interpretations for over thirty years--- and have never tired of them.

The fact is: For the most part, the totality of Katchen's vision is unparalled; he has no rival. Even the Naxos "complete" edition of Brahms (with Biret) offers no real competition. Other pianists may offer a tad more depth here or there in one piece or another, but no pianist has played Brahms.... as I believe Brahms would have performed his own piano music. And this is no small compliment to Katchen.

Katchen has captured the essence of Brahms, perhaps his musical soul--- if you allow me a metaphysical moment. Not many pianists are capable of bringing to music the illusion that the composer, himself, might actually be sitting there at the keyboard. Only a meager handful of artists might come to mind.

I was listening to Sonata No. 1 in C, Op. 1 this morning and was amazed at just how fresh and incredibly real his performance is. In such an early work, Brahms has already made his mark, and in Katchen's hands it springs to miraculous life. The first movement Allegro is rugged, insightful, foreshadowing the Op. 5 to come; the second movement Andante is lyrically brooding (with more than a nod to Beethoven) with a wistful quality that goes right to the heart; the impishly demonic Scherzo is daringly original, followed by a breathtaking and propulsive Finale whose glowing trio section disarms in the most unexpected way.

And THAT was only Sonata No. 1 in C!!! Sonata No. 2, Op. 2, normally viewed as a lesser accomplishment, in Katchen's hands is a wonder. And Sonata No. 3, Op. 5, the rarest of Brahms' gems? It is a performance that you will return to over and over again for its power, passion and tenderness.

The eight pieces that form Op. 76 run the gamut from lyrical to quirky to introverted to brusque and, for me, the best set I've ever heard. The two Rhapsodies, Op. 79, are excursions into a sound-world that seems phantasmagorical, other-worldly, wonderous.

The late Brahms works, however, Opp. 116-119, are pieces that explore every nuance of what it means to be human, every emotion, every question. And then some. Katchen plays these as if he had written them himself; as if Brahms were looking over his shoulder. [My only quibble with this set, as with the jewel box edition, is that the Opp. 116-119 are NOT coupled together on one CD--- which they could have easily been, running only 74:11 minutes. To break them apart onto three separate CDs seems aesthetically absurd.]

Katchen, as well, gives the Handel Variations, Op. 24 a run for their money. Hair-raising, gentle, virile. As he does the Paganini Variations, Op. 35. And the Scherzo, Op. 4? Well, just listen to what he does with this!

There can be no better way to immerse yourself in the piano music of Brahms, with no better interpreter of the "complete" solo works. Katchen is the rarest of talents. Oh, sure, his Brahms may have some rough edges; but, then, so did Brahms. And I think the "match" is perfect. For me, there can be no better, and I've heard an earful of Brahms.

The London "sound" has come through miraculously well and much improved on the original vinyls. It is full, rich, quite present and mercifully without an intrusive amount of ambience. A flesh and blood piano.... played by an artist completely "one" with the composer.

[Running time--- CD 1: 67:12 CD 2: 68:21 CD 3: 67:30 CD 4: 61:24 CD 5: 61:31 CD 6: 61:49]

This box will have the width of a finger on your shelf, but will provide you with endless hours of boundless enjoyment. Julius Katchen not only showed that he was a master of the Brahms piano repertoire in the 1960s, but London also awarded him amazingly realistic and faithful piano recording. The transfers to 6 CDs have been totally successful, amongst the very best in London's "Collectors' Edition" series.

If you have a chance to sample what's here, try the early Scherzo in Eb, Op 4, a wonderfully robust, powerful work, and the late Op 117 Intermezzi - reflective, reposeful works. You'll also find some of the brilliant sets of variations - masterpieces that are fiendishly difficult to play - and the complete sets of waltzes and Hungarian dances.

Vehemently recommended.

I have long enjoyed Rubenstein's recordings of the works of Brahms, and those recordings, albeit rather dated, are splendid. However, several years ago I found this collection of the complete Brahms piano pieces by Julius Katchen, and I was completely taken. There is a level of consistency with one performer, and Katchen's accuracy and stunning technique makes this a collection which will add to anyone's collection of recordings.

In addition, the packaging (with individual envelopes for each cd, and each with its own discography) is very convenient. The box of 6 CD's replaces the originally released set of two jewel cases, a very good replacement I believe.

I highly recommend this CD set.

Although I don't consider myself an "expert" of classical music, I do listen to alot of it and own over 500 classical cd's. Out of my entire collection, if I had to throw away 499 of them and only keep one, I'd keep this box set. Katchen plays so beautifully that I lose myself in the music every time and never get tired of listening to it.

If you are considering buying this and are reading the reviews for informaton, don't hesitate - buy it NOW! You won't regret it.

This recording is definitive. Brahms is known to be passionate, loud, and temperamental like Beethoven. Thus, the piano playing required would have to be as such. Katchen makes full use of the range of the piano, never subduing any bass note, but rather, amplifies it. Furthermore, you don't get the over-romanticized and muddy texture of Evgeny Kissin. It is crisp, powerful, direct, and highly artistic. Truly passionate and other-worldly. But loud passion is not the only thing here; my opinion of Brahms is that his orchestral works are his best, that is, the symphonies and concertos. Yet, his intermezzi are perhaps one of the best compositions for the piano, and Katchen plays with the most careful detail to each and every nuance and phrasing for these gentle, often tragic pieces. Definetly recommended.

If there is a more effervescent , idiomatic , innovative and resplendently performance of the Handel Variations , I have not heard it . Katchen emphasizes with colossal scrupulosity the wide doe and the diversity spectre of the orchestral instruments . You must marvel at the technical equipment of Katchen playing .
The other outstanding version of these Variations is of Michael Ponti (live preformance)
gifted with a major emphasis in the striking and color tone ; but the point to remark is that in both performings the approach is similar ; every one of the Variations must be played as a microcosmos in itself ; with nuance , grace , majesty, powerful imagination, sense of the span and above al ; savoir vivre . If you intend to play with authoritative precision without Mediterranean dewy and radiant mood ; you are destined to fail with these Variations and becoming unbearable for the audience and the listener . Lamentably , there are many of them in the actual market but I think you can guess them .
The two Rhapsodies are performed with the highest commitment . Melodic flight and arresting lyricism .
The Sonatas are superbly performed . The Sonata No. 3 may find serious matchers with Clifford Curzon and Paul Badura Skoda .
The intermezzos are depicted with the adequate illuminating . These intimate pages must be played with the perfect balance of light and shadows ; think in Chopin Nocturnes for instance . Only Glenn Gould gets close to him in the Intermezzo Op. 117 No. 2 .
The Ballades may be the weakest works of this fundamental set . Benedetti Michelangeli and Emil Gilels recorded brilliant and eloquent versions.
Finally The Paganini Variations find in Benedetti Michelangeli a serious and unbeatable adversary .
To be honest , this set is widely recommendable for you , to know the whole and intimate world of Johannes Brahms , the beloved son of Hamburg.
Katchen also recorded a powerful Islamey and an unforgettable Rachmaninoff No. 2 .

There may be the individual recording made by others - Gilels, Rubinstein, Arrau - of a particular piece which might be preferred but as a collection of the Brahms piano works, this set has to take the prize.

The quality of original recording is high and the digital transfer seemingly well done. One has to listen very attentively to detect which of the four Ballades were recorded monaurally; a strange anachronism in the 'sixties. Also, the piano is an unusually fine-sounding instrument and I wonder if it might not be the Bösendorfer which resided in Decca's Hampstead studios around the time these recordings were made.

As another reviewer has suggested, the accompanying notes in french and german do provide interestingly different perspectives. But what I find inexcusable is that neither of these, nor the text in english, offers any biographical or other information on the pianist. The title is "Brahms, Works for Solo Piano. Julius Katchen". That's it - Katchen dismissed! Despite there being two blank pages in the accompanying booklet and two more of irrelevant other releases by London, that is the only mention made anywhere of the artist. I find this not only irritating but offensive.

Julius Katchen was an American pianist who moved to post-War Paris at the age of twenty. He was the consummate musician with a broad performing repertoire; a very highly regarded soloist in his time - a time which included Rubinstein, Backhaus, Gilels, Horowitz, Moiseiwitsch and Solomon - and a very empathetic accompanist but whose achievements like those of Witold Malcuzynski are not so well remembered today. This set serves to redress the balance a little and introduce Katchen to a new generation who surely will appreciate what in my view is the best available recording of the fiendishly difficult Paganini variations. His recording of the Brahms Opus 24 Handel variations (which are up there with Bach's Goldbergs for sheer breadth of musical invention) also is one of the best.

I recommend this set very highly.

As an unconnected aside, some fifty years ago and quite by chance, I found myself sitting next to Katchen on an aircraft. I remember he had unusually expressive hands; a useful attribute as the noise level of the DC3 cabin militated against easy conversation! At the time, I was wrestling with the G minor Rhapsody and he was very generous with his advice (and a free ticket to a recital the following evening!). A charming man who died prematurely in 1969.

Buy this set - I can't imagine why you would regret it.

Brahms solo piano music is not performed very often. These recordings illustrate why- not only is technique of the highest order required, but total musicianship must be of the highest order as well. There are few pianists who accomplish this- and Katchen certainly does. The tonal quality, phrasing, "breathing", etc. is sublime.

To be honest, I can't really figure out how much I like Katchen's performance. It's hard to gauge because Brahms's piano music is inherently exceptional played by just about any performer.

I feel that the ballades, op. 10 are played way too fast (although I'm not exactly sure how close Katchen is to Brahms's tempi indications). I've heard them by several other performers and, being a Gould fan, would have to say that his slower interpretation really captures how beautiful the pieces are more than anyone else. I also enjoy Kempff's performances of many later works. Katchen really seems so rushed for some reason. To me, that really takes attention away from the fine details, which I think are so essential to Brahms's piano music. He's not quite delicate enough with some of the pieces.

This faster speed is only very slight for the rest of the set, but pretty consistently. I think he does a better job with more intense pieces like many of his larger-scale variations and the sonatas. Those I would give 5 stars, but only 4 stars for the op. 116-119, for they're a little too fast.

My only other qualm is the arrangement of the set. It would be nice to have all the sonatas together on a disc, 116-119 on a disc, etc., going along with the whole chronological thing..

However, all these things are personal preference. I would definitely recommend this set. It's made up about 1/2 of my music listening for the past couple months. It's not expensive at all for what you're getting, and if you get just one Brahms piano cd, you're going to want to get more, so you should just get it over with and have this whole set, it's fabulous music. Just keep in mind that this is not the only interpretation that should be considered.

A wonderful artist, excellent, modern recordings, a complete package, and cheap! What more could you want?