Felipe Browne – Beethoven – Brahms – Liszt – CR6034
£9.99 – £23.99
“…a glorious performance of Liszt`s 2nd Ballade…What a treat to hear Chopin`s strangely neglected Prelude in C-sharp minor Opus 45, of which we heard a magical interpretation”
Description
Musical life in the 19th century was preoccupied with the continuing confrontation between the so-called Music of the Future exemplified by Wagner and his adherents, the most widely-known of whom was Franz Liszt, and the presumed conservatism of Brahms with the ever-looming and godlike figure of Beethoven hovering above them all. While exempt from this petty argument over which music most demonstrated romantic ideals that of Beethoven was more experimental and much more adventurous than the music of either of these rivals. For his time, at the cusp of the romantic era and, Beethoven embarked on experiments in the construction of his world of sound which challenged the aesthetic limits of his era and paved the way for the Avant garde philosophies which were to bear fruit in the works of such composers as Debussy, Bartok and others.
Johannes Brahms was viewed as the ultraconservative of his day. Although praised by such greats as Robert Schumann, he was viciously derided by others and even such enlightened musicians and music critics as George Bernard Shaw and Tchaikovsky who called him “talentless”. Later into the 20th century, this was echoed by major composers such as Benjamin Britten and Darius Milhaud who despised his work. However, the supposed superiority of this “new music” as demonstrated by Wagner and his adherents seemingly had more to do with the situation in German literary circles and, in general, with the literary illusion of romantic which filled the salons of Paris, London and Berlin. Where these two musics diverge is in the Wagner-Liszt adherence to extra-musical or literary impulses and to the extremes they embraced in demonstrating what was presumed to be a unity of art forms. In fact, Liszt`s infatuation with Berlioz and his Symphonie fantastique was based on the twofold admiration of the illusionary aspects of this work as well as his sympathy for the composer which led him to not only transcribe the work for solo piano but to bear the expense of publishing his transcription with the money from the sales of the transcription as well as from his concert performances of it going to Berlioz. Of course, the rise of Lisztomania and the godlike adoration of Liszt as a pianist fuelled the cult which went to such hysterical limits as to have women fighting over his handkerchiefs and entrepreneurs hawking phials of his bath water. While Wagner was “pumping” his admirers for funding to pay for his extraordinary life style Liszt was earning such a significant income as a pianist that, after 1857, all his performing fees went to charity. He supported the founding of the Hungarian National School of Music, the Cologne Cathedral, and the building of the Leopold Church in Pest. In addition, he was a major donor to the Leipzig Musicians Pension Fund and, following the Great Fire in Hamburg in 1842, performed benefit concerts there to aid the thousands of homeless.
Brahms was different and more the exemplary “absolute musician” concerned with the loyalty of a German musician to the purist traditions of Bach. This set him apart from the literary excesses which hallmarked the members of the “Wagnerian” school but also created a rift between these schools which was to impact on European music for decades. Both Brahms and Liszt were brilliant pianists but Brahms` conservatism and his innate inhibitions driven by his deeper need to understand every musical influence he encountered, prevented him from becoming the gala showman as was Liszt. It seems that Brahms had a problem with criticism, a difficulty which the showman, Liszt, shrugged off as unimportant. Both Liszt and Wagner adhered to their mission of unifying painting, literature and music into one great artistic whole while composers such as Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms held fast to “classical” principles, holding Mozart, Haydn and others firmly in their sights. The 1859 article in the “Neue Zeitschrift fuer Musik” which drew up these battle lines could not have come from a worst source – the very journal made so significant by Schumann, Brahms` strongest and most influential supporter. This led to the manifesto of the same year, authored by Brahms and his friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim, denouncing the perceived bias in the article but also contributing greatly to the divisions in the musical community. The battle lines had been drawn and the confrontation between these camps was to find its zenith with the premiere of Brahms` “German Requiem” in 1867 with such Wagner supporters as Hirsch dismissing it for its “heathenish noise of the percussion” while Eduard Hanslick, a fervent Brahms supporter, praised the: “…harmonic and contrapuntal art which Brahms learnt in the school of Bach is inspired by him with the living breath of the present.”
In all of this, the figure of Beethoven looms above the fray with both parties acknowledging the sublime and adventurous nature of his music. Perhaps the best one can take from this altercation, all but forgotten now as nothing more than adolescent “acting-out”, is the conviction that these musics created, each in its own way, a sound world which has forever left its mark on our artistic sensibilities. As much as the Wagnerites took their inspiration from literature and art, it is also the music of Brahms which has contributed music inspiration to these forms and, together, both philosophies have given us a broader spectrum of European music than would have otherwise been possible.
Brahms Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35 is an unusually work for this composer. Based on the 24th Caprice by Niccolò Paganini, it is much more than a set of variations but a virtuosic set of studies which he composed for the virtuoso Carl Tausig. Known for its emotional depth and for its enormous technical challenges, it has been described as a “fiendish” work and, indeed, Clara Schumann dubbed it the Hexenvariationen or “Witches Variations. It was written in 1863. Of the two books which comprise the Paganini Variations, David Dubal wrote: “To play them requires fingers of steel, a heart if burning lava and the courage of a lion.”
The contrasting Beethoven Sonatas No. 8 in c minor (Pathétique), Op. 13 and No. 14 in c-sharp minor (Sonata quasi una fantasia), Op. 27, No. 2 have long belonged to the standard repertoire of all great pianists since the composer`s time. Sonata No. 8 was written in 1798 and may have been inspired by Mozart`s Sonata KV 457 with thematic material very similar to that found in the Mozart work. The Pathétique proved popular in Beethoven`s time and was instrumental in creating his reputation as a major composer. It also evidenced the same creative impulses that would later prove to be the hallmark of Beethoven`s style. Similarly, the Sonata No. 14 has enjoyed immense popularity since its composition in 1801. It has inspired such composers as Chopin whose Fantasie-Impromptu was written as a tribute to Beethoven. Often referred to as the Moonlight Sonata , the work was given its name by the German critic and poet, Ludwig Rellstab who saw in the first movement the moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne.
Liszt`s Variations on a Theme of Paganini was written in 1838, during Paganini`s lifetime, is a transcription of the Paganini Caprice utilizing the same thematic material as does the Brahms set of variations to be composed almost 30 years later. These pieces belong to the most technically demanding in the piano literature, offering such technical challenges as large stretches of the hand and devilish outrageous technical difficulties in performance. The work is a transcription of the Étude No. 6 in a-minor and abounds with rapid scales, octaves and arpeggios and was dedicated to Clara Schumann.
Liszt`s Liebestraum in A-flat Major is the last of three works bearing this title and is also the most popular of them. The inspiration is a work by Ferdinand Feiligrath and the work was originally conceived for voice and piano. The subject of the 3rd Liebestraum, entitled “Notturno” is about mature love and is taken from the line: “…O lieb so lang Du lieben kannst”: (“Love as long as you can”.) © 2016 Kevin Wood
Felipe Browne, a pianist of exemplary gifts, is an international artist true to his Chilean roots. He began his studies in his homeland and entered the Pontificia Universidad Católica at the age of 11, studying with Frida Conn. From there, he went on to Tel Aviv, working with the pianist Arie Vardi at the Rubin Academy and, in 1990 with the famed maestro Peter Feuchtwanger in London. He studied in Germany, in Karlsruhe, with Gunter Reinhold and, since 1997, has represented his country in such diverse lands as Poland, China, Italy, Portugal and Russia.
Felipe Browne`s press well documents his brilliance as a musician. The UK`S Musical Opinion wrote: “…a glorious performance of Liszt`s 2nd Ballade…What a treat to hear Chopin`s strangely neglected Prelude in C-sharp minor Opus 45, of which we heard a magical interpretation” and The Washington Post in the USA wrote of him: “Browne dazzled the crowd with his keen sense of articulation, brilliant finger speed and tempering of power with eloquent sensitivity.”
As was Franz Liszt in his day, Felipe Browne is known for his dedication to music education through his concerts for underprivileged children. His work with these disadvantage children at the schools SIP, Belén Educa, Nocedal, Puente Maipo, the municipal institutions in Las Condes and other communities gives proof to his commitment to them and his belief in the healing power of music. Recently, he wrote: “In these concerts, I play works written by great composers and tell about the life of the composer. Mostly, they were very poor and they were only able to get ahead through the passion with which they lived their lives and love put into their art with what they did. The majority [of them] were very poor and I believe this is the great message of hope for the children.”
Felipe Browne is the proud father of six children and lives in Santiago de Chile.
Felipe Browne`s press well documents his brilliance as a musician. The UK`S Musical Opinion wrote: “…a glorious performance of Liszt`s 2nd Ballade…What a treat to hear Chopin`s strangely neglected Prelude in C-sharp minor Opus 45, of which we heard a magical interpretation” and The Washington Post in the USA wrote of him: “Browne dazzled the crowd with his keen sense of articulation, brilliant finger speed and tempering of power with eloquent sensitivity.”