BRAHMS Ballades and Fantasies
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Johannes Brahms
Genre:
Instrumental
Label: Pentatone
Magazine Review Date: 05/2017
Media Format: Super Audio CD
Media Runtime: 57
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: PTC5186 568
![PTC5186 568. BRAHMS Ballades and Fantasies](https://reviews.azureedge.net/gramophone/media-thumbnails/brahms_ballades_fantasies.jpg)
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Theme and Variations |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Denis Kozhukhin, Piano Johannes Brahms, Composer |
(4) Ballades |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Denis Kozhukhin, Piano Johannes Brahms, Composer |
(7) Pieces |
Johannes Brahms, Composer
Denis Kozhukhin, Piano Johannes Brahms, Composer |
Author: Harriet Smith
Plowright’s recent account of the Op 10 Ballades was deeply impressive, and so is this new reading, even if neither can rival Sokolov in sheer reactivity. Kozhukhin avoids sounding ponderous in the outer sections of the Second Ballade thanks to his relatively flowing tempo – and in its driving inner section he is never merely vehement. The Fourth Ballade is another highlight, the melodic line beautifully drawn out of the texture.
In some hands, the more driven of the Op 116 Fantasies can come across as a tad stroppy, but there’s no risk of that here. The first of the set has strength and power but also a ringing tone and an eagerness to unearth its playfulness, and its yearning too. In the fourth piece, Angelich makes life easier for himself with a slightly more flowing tempo than Kozhukhin but ultimately it’s Richard Goode who really sets the benchmark in these pieces, making everything sound so inevitable. That said, I’m very taken with what Kozhukhin has to say in this music.
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