Brahms / Stephen Kovacevich, Dinorah Varsi, Adam Harasiewicz – The Late Piano Music • Handel And Paganini Variations

Brahms / Kovacevich, Varsi, Harasiewicz – The Late Piano Music • Handel & Paganini Variations

A monumental survey of late Romantic piano writing, this collection brings together the introspective miniatures and towering variation sets of Johannes Brahms, performed by three distinguished pianists: Stephen Kovacevich, Dinorah Varsi, and Adam Harasiewicz. The result is a deeply considered interpretation of Brahms at his most inward, poetic, and structurally refined.

The programme traces Brahms’ late piano language through the Fantasias Op. 116, Intermezzos Opp. 117–119, and Piano Pieces Op. 76, works that distil his voice into miniature forms filled with harmonic richness and emotional restraint. Each intermezzo feels like a private reflection—brief, intimate, and quietly profound—while the capriccios and rhapsodies introduce moments of dramatic contrast and rhythmic intensity.

The second half of the set expands into two of Brahms’ most ambitious keyboard works: the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 and the Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35. Here, Brahms demonstrates his architectural mastery, transforming simple thematic material into intricate studies of virtuosity, contrapuntal invention, and expressive depth.

Across the performances, Kovacevich, Varsi, and Harasiewicz each bring distinct interpretative insight—balancing clarity, weight, and poetic nuance in music that demands both technical command and emotional intelligence.

This is essential listening for piano enthusiasts: a complete immersion into Brahms’ late style, where intimacy and grandeur coexist in perfect equilibrium.

Tracklist:

Fantasias, Op. 116 (19:28)
1-1. Capriccio in D Minor (Presto Energico) – 1:51
1-2. Intermezzo in A Minor – 3:22
1-3. Capriccio in G Minor – 2:39
1-4. Intermezzo in E – 3:50
1-5. Intermezzo in E Minor – 2:27
1-6. Intermezzo in E – 3:10
1-7. Capriccio in D Minor – 2:09

Intermezzos, Op. 117 (15:34)
1-8. In E Flat Major – 4:47
1-9. In B Flat Minor – 5:07
1-10. In C Sharp Minor – 5:40

Piano Pieces, Op. 118 (20:49)
1-11. Intermezzo in A Minor – 1:38
1-12. Intermezzo in A – 5:02
1-13. Ballade in G Minor – 3:07
1-14. Intermezzo in F Minor – 2:36
1-15. Romance in F – 2:56
1-16. Intermezzo in E Flat Minor – 5:30

Piano Pieces, Op. 119 (15:18)
1-17. Intermezzo in B Minor – 3:45
1-18. Intermezzo in E Minor – 5:37
1-19. Intermezzo in C – 1:23
1-20. Rhapsody in E Flat – 4:33
1-21. Rhapsody No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 79 – 5:50

Piano Pieces, Op. 76 (15:14)
2-2. Capriccio in F Sharp Minor – 2:53
2-3. Capriccio in B Minor – 2:45
2-4. Intermezzo in A Flat – 1:28
2-5. Intermezzo in B Flat – 2:13
2-6. Capriccio in C Sharp Minor – 2:53
2-7. Intermezzo in A – 3:02
2-8. Intermezzo in A Minor – 2:38
2-9. Intermezzo in C – 3:13

Variations
2-10. Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 – 26:19

Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35 (20:47)
2-11. Book 1 – 11:13
2-12. Book 2 – 9:34