For me this piece is raw, unrefined emotion. Quite alien, but also very relatable... hard to explain. Thanks a lot for sharing your understanding of it with us!
Thank you very much for this analysis and all the interesting insights into this music - and for the great and moving performance! Brahms is one of my favorite composers ever and you play him magnificently!
Charles Rosen's teacher was Moriz Rosenthal, who knew Brahms, and Rosen said that Rosenthal recounted to him how when playing the piano Brahms would "roll all the chords", a bad habit by today's standards.
Those are strong words! How do you account for the fact that there is only one pedal marking (with no release sign) in the entire piece? Would you advocate playing from that moment onwards with one pedal, or only using pedal for the five bars before the middle section? I’m interested in your thoughts-it seems to me that although Brahms’ pedal markings are always carefully placed, they can’t be considered to be complete. Therefore we need other parameters to determine phrasing besides the pedal marking.
@@TheIndependentPianist My thoughts too. Similar to Chopin’s pedal markings, Brahms seems to only add pedal markings where he particularly cared about but left the other areas free to apply. This 3rd Intermezzo’s middle section and transition would be so difficult to maintain a fluid phrasing without gently pedaling! Brahms in particular uses a lot of very wide arpeggios that certainly can use light pedaling to smooth out the edges. If Sir Andras Schiff uses discreet pedals throughout his Bach performances, Brahms would not frown at Cole’s careful but somewhat colorful application!
Yeah, I also thought of mentioning. It seems like Brahms really saved up his 2+3 fetish in horizontal form for special pieces like this one or op.119/4, 76/3, 118/3… what else is there?
Glad to hear it! I use Synthogy’s Ivory II American Grand-it samples a Steinway. Also I have tinkered around with the settings a good deal to make it sound as much as possible like my ideal piano sound.
For me this piece is raw, unrefined emotion. Quite alien, but also very relatable... hard to explain.
Thanks a lot for sharing your understanding of it with us!
The best of all intermezzi! Thank you!
Thank you very much for this analysis and all the interesting insights into this music - and for the great and moving performance! Brahms is one of my favorite composers ever and you play him magnificently!
A fascinating commentary and an exquisite performance of beautiful piano music so wonderfully crafted by Brahms: bravo, Cole!
Your touch and pacing really brought out the uncanny beauty.
Charles Rosen's teacher was Moriz Rosenthal, who knew Brahms, and Rosen said that Rosenthal recounted to him how when playing the piano Brahms would "roll all the chords", a bad habit by today's standards.
Interesting, because in diary of schumann’s daughter, she says how he wanted every chord together unless stated, but there he was younger of course
I love this piece and now I love it even more. Thanks for the videos.
brahms looks handsome in the thumbnail
Also what's your favorite Brahms intermezzo set overall (op 117/118/119)? I honestly have a soft spot for 117, it seems the most "lyrical" to me
The pedaling is carefully marked. Where it is not indicated, it is not wanted. THAT makes for the parameters within which the phrasing is realized.
Those are strong words! How do you account for the fact that there is only one pedal marking (with no release sign) in the entire piece? Would you advocate playing from that moment onwards with one pedal, or only using pedal for the five bars before the middle section? I’m interested in your thoughts-it seems to me that although Brahms’ pedal markings are always carefully placed, they can’t be considered to be complete. Therefore we need other parameters to determine phrasing besides the pedal marking.
@@TheIndependentPianist
My thoughts too. Similar to Chopin’s pedal markings, Brahms seems to only add pedal markings where he particularly cared about but left the other areas free to apply. This 3rd Intermezzo’s middle section and transition would be so difficult to maintain a fluid phrasing without gently pedaling! Brahms in particular uses a lot of very wide arpeggios that certainly can use light pedaling to smooth out the edges. If Sir Andras Schiff uses discreet pedals throughout his Bach performances, Brahms would not frown at Cole’s careful but somewhat colorful application!
What about the five bar phrasing throughout until like page four.
Great point, I didn’t think of mentioning the phrase lengths in this piece.
Yeah, I also thought of mentioning. It seems like Brahms really saved up his 2+3 fetish in horizontal form for special pieces like this one or op.119/4, 76/3, 118/3… what else is there?
I think now also of first ballade, b flat theme, in 5 beats across 5 bars…
How do you get that electric piano to sound so good? It basically sounds like a grand
Glad to hear it! I use Synthogy’s Ivory II American Grand-it samples a Steinway. Also I have tinkered around with the settings a good deal to make it sound as much as possible like my ideal piano sound.
apart from op 118 no 6 any plans on doing any other intermezzi?
Yes, I think I might go straight through Op 118 and 119 next.