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Your favorite Brahms' Handel Variations.

12K views 51 replies 23 participants last post by  Mandryka  
#1 ·
I like Leon Fleisher's. How about you?
 
#25 ·
The great thing about variations are that each pianist will play each one a different way. The Brahms for example is basically one piece with 25 movements. In general I find variation form so enjoyable to listen to because there's so much room for interpretation, you'll never know what tempo the next one might be!

Brahms' Handel variations are such a wonderful set of character variations. A superb piece from start to finish.
 
#29 ·
One of the best Brahms Handel Variations I have ever heard is by Peter Miyamoto.

He plays with a wonderful sense of rubato. The recording is one of the finest reproductions of a piano I've ever heard and the dynamic range is wide-the louder passages will knock your socks off!
 
#35 ·
Solomon, Jorge Bolet, Julius Katchen, Egon Petri, Murray Perahia, are all versions I wouldn't be without, but if pushed for just one I would undoubtedly go for Benno Moiseiwitsch's 1953 recording on Testament, he plays them superlatively well, and it also happens to be coupled with what is, in my opinion the finest performance that I've ever heard (and trust me, I've heard a lot) of Schumann's Fantasy in C. It is a disc that should have an honoured place in any decent collection of piano recordings, and I add the cover here for any wise person who wishes to investigate further:

 
#36 ·
Solomon, Jorge Bolet, Julius Katchen, Egon Petri, Murray Perahia, are all versions I wouldn't be without, but if pushed for just one I would undoubtedly go for Benno Moiseiwitsch's 1953 recording on Testament, he plays them superlatively well, and it also happens to be coupled with what is, in my opinion the finest performance that I've ever heard (and trust me, I've heard a lot) of Schumann's Fantasy in C. It is a disc that should have an honoured place in any decent collection of piano recordings, and I add the cover here for any wise person who wishes to investigate further:

View attachment 91814
I like Moiseiwitsch's Fantasy in C and listen to it quite often on Youtube, but didn't know that it was released by Testament with such great combo. After giving him a try for the Handel variations, I was mesmerized. Thanks for sharing!