Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op.9 (Barenboim, Biret)
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- Опубліковано 18 лют 2016
- Often noted to be Brahms’s greatest set of variations, through (perhaps because of its interpretive difficulties) it’s not often recorded. Brahms wrote this set of variations after Schumann had been committed to an asylum, and very movingly chose as his subject a theme (C-B-A-G#-A, heard first in mm.2-4) which spelt out the name CLARA, that of Schumann’s wife and greatest love.
The bleak, tender, heartfelt brilliance of the contrapuntal writing here is unparalleled in all Romantic piano literature, and the four canons (Vars.8,10,14,15) in particular are worthy of standing beside those of the Goldberg Variations. The overall mood is sad - profoundly so - but the sudden modulations, stark juxtapositions, and musical quotations are all very Schumann-esque. A sense of not-quite-rightness, of things off-kilter, pervades the work.
Barenboim’s performance is rapt, spiritual, luminous; Biret is bleak, unrelenting, barren. Both are superb.
Var. 1: The CLARA theme is transferred to the bass line, with plaintive rising figures in the RH.
Var. 2: The bass line is preserved, but the new 9/8 metre speeds it up, so that what was covered in three bars in the original is now covered in just one; the rhythm is unsettling, uneasy. This variation is a possible textural reference to Schumann's Impromptu on a Theme of Clara Wieck, Op.5 No.6.
Var. 3: A stark study in harmonic contrasts, with the LH over the RH for most of its duration.
Var. 4: Above a ceaseless pulsing in the bass a gentle melody emerges in a long phrase of 4 bars. There are some similarities to Brahms’ Intermezzo, Op.119, No.2 in E minor.
Var. 5: Despite its dynamic contrast with Var.4, Var.5 continues the pattern of pairs of chords alternating between the RH and LH.
Var. 6: Continues the buildup of Var.5, with swirling arpeggios overlaying missing strong beats and apparently wrong bass notes that thunder out only to resolve unexpectedly.
Var. 7: Begins a subdued phase of the set which extends to the very end, with only one exception, Var.12. Chords alternating between treble and bass extend across bar lines, cloaking any rhythmic drive. The interest is in small changes in harmony between the chords and at the end of each chord as one or two of its notes fall, sometimes only a semitone.
Var. 8: A strict canon in the octave with the LH following the RH both one and two octaves below and two bars behind. A gorgeous example of how Romantic figuration can act at the service of Bachian counterpoint, with the imitative voice disguised by tremolos.
Var. 9: Hushed, rippling arpeggios, with strong beats again left missing in the LH. A clear reference to Schumann's Bünte Blätter, Op.99, No.4 in B minor
Var. 10: A contrapuntal tour de force, and the most elaborate canon of the set. The beautiful melody is in fact the bass line of Schumann's theme, while the bass of this variation is the mirror image (inversion) of the theme. At the same time, the original melody now appears in the inner voices but at a faster pace than the original (diminution). And Brahms is not yet done: he repeats the opening canon, but now, amazingly, with the bass lagging one bar behind the treble. In the inner voice in the 4th-last bar [30:52], Brahms uses a theme that Clara herself wrote in her Romance variee, Op.3, "Romanza".
Var. 11: Light, quiet, mysterious.
Var. 12: A long-awaited return to F# minor. Jerky, scherzoesque, with a wildly accelerating finale profuse with cross-rhythms. A possible reference to Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Op.12, "Fabel".
Var. 13: A reference to Schumann’s Tocccata, Op.7, but where the Toccata was powerful, vigorous, this variation is wafer-thin, delicate to the point of insubstantiality.
Var. 14: A touching canon. The leading voice is two bars ahead of the following voice and one step lower ("canon in seconds"). Both voices are in the right hand.
Var. 15: In yet another canon (in the outermost voices) the RH melody is followed in the LH at a distance of one bar and an interval of a sixth.
Var. 16: A profoundly contemplative end. There is no climax, no final motoric drive towards the close. Var.16 is mostly prolonged octaves in the bass in dotted notes. The melodic line of the theme is not even used. Instead, in a quintessentially Brahmsian twist, bass octaves echoing of the melody of Var. 10 are used, which in turn originated in the bass line of the theme. As always, with Brahms, the bass line holds things together.
![Bach + [Various]: Transcriptions (Weissenberg, Rösel, Bax, Grimaud, Glemser)](/img/n.gif)
Barenboim:
00:00 -- Theme
01:15 - Var.1
02:27 - Var.2
02:56 - Var.3
04:08 - Var.4
04:58 - Var.5
05:52 - Var.6
06:46 - Var.7
07:50 - Var.8
09:23 - Var.9
09:58 - Var.10
12:18 - Var.11
13:18 - Var.12
13:58 - Var.13
14:31 - Var.14
15:30 - Var.15
17:17 - Var.16
Biret:
19:37 -- Theme
20:40 - Var.1
21:37 - Var.2
22:10 - Var.3
23:01 - Var.4
23:46 - Var.5
24:41 - Var.6
25:28 - Var.7
26:08 - Var.8
28:09 - Var.9
28:43 - Var.10
31:09 - Var.11
32:04 - Var.12
32:40 - Var.13
33:11 - Var.14
34:16 - Var.15
36:14 - Var.16
호황이야 ㅓㅓㅓㅜ!!!!! 아라라 !!!! 어어 ??? 하나라도!!!!!! 👺👺👺👺👺👺😡😡😡
Hey Ashish, what do you think of Clara Schumann's variation on the same theme? I'd love to hear your opinion
Thank you!
When I was playing it ten years ago I always loved the theme the most. Only now I realized that it was published in 1854 - Schumann had been in the asylum for a year by this point. Clara couldn't visit him. Brahms, Schumann's protege, despite his respect for Robert, was deeply in love with his wife. How must he have felt? Taking this theme to work on might have meant so much for both him and Clara.
Thanks so much for this post and many others--and for your brilliant commentaries. Am grateful for your passion and generosity. Haven't listened to this set of variations for decades. Your remarks make a big difference.
The variation sets by different composers from different eras are often the quickest and most efficient way of getting into the composer’s mind. Like being in their workshop and studying their craft up close.
Now THAT is a very thoughtful remark. I shall consider other variations in that light.
I have often felt the same. it brings into focus the contours of the particular "filters" through which they interpret the world musically.
why do you think so ?
_When Clara also did one on this theme_
And when Clara hid the same little melody in her version that appears in the last few bars of Var.10 of Brahms's version, which is the theme melody of Clara's Op. 3 Romance variée in C major. :)
Yeah. But this is a million times better.
@@amerrylittlemonarch Clara's variations are great, just like this piece here.
You seem to pop up in a lot of classical music videos and you don't have a lot of nice things to say. I don't think just because you have Beethoven as your profile picture and name that that means you have a definitive say on anything. Both sets of variation are great and the history behind them and the people behind them, their dynamic, is both deeply fascinating and incredibly sad. Enjoy yourself and immerse yourself into the music because it's wonderful.
@@bubbabousky3857 I'm sorry to disappoint you, but they're objectively not comparable; Brahms's variations are far superior to Clara's, and Brahms _himself_ was far greater than Clara as a composer.
Your pattern-finding endeavors are clearly hindered by a lack of experience. As you said, I hang around the comments a lot; I have, however, made many more _positive_ comments than I have _negative_ ones, and I think you just need to explore the world of classical music a bit more to find them.
Additionally, regardless of personal history, the musical quality of this work cannot be seriously compared to that of Clara's; this is simply better. If remarking critically is considered taboo, I don't know how the musical world has evolved---at all. Clara herself was _extremely_ critical, going so far as to say that Liszt's S. 178 is musically worthless (which is obviously untrue---another reason I have very little respect for Clara).
I find the extent of your projection kind of amusing, as I have never claimed that my profile (which was conceived as a joke) gives me any authority. I'm simply echoing the majority conclusion---that Brahms's oeuvre is superior to Clara's. Ask _any_ serious musicologist and you'll be told the same thing. "Fascination" aside, the two sets of variations have a clear place in the musical firmament: Brahms's is at the top, while Clara's is far below.
Also, please stop liking your own comment. It's pretty pathetic to see.
@@amerrylittlemonarch dude just shut up enjoy the music
A few weeks ago I had this theme in my head and I sang it everywhere, but I did not know the name of the composition.
So, I challenged myself to find the name of it. I felt like a real British detective. After three weeks I finally found the composition with its name!
Thank you so much for uploading this amazing music and video! :-)
So what is the name? You’re leaving me hanging? Schumann is one of my favorite composers!
@Carl Bowlby: ua-cam.com/video/8vyxcFYZVKs/v-deo.htmlm37s
The original is Schumann - Bunte Blätter op. 99 no 4
This work encapsulates the torrents of emotion wrapped around three great persons and artists: the tragedy of Schumann's insanity; the Romantic passion of Robert and Clara; the impossible love of Brahms and Clara; the reverence for Schumann's greatness. The collage of variations perfectly capture the ambiguous and ungraspable nature of collided genius.
Brahms was gay. Clara was his only friend.
FRAGA VILLANUEVA JORGE ARTHURO How do you know this?
Brahms was definitely not homosexual. There are stories of him constantly bringing prostitutes to his apartment flats. Like Beethoven, Brahms had an elevated notion of love that was incompatible with social reality. Clara embodied this as closely as a woman could, but her love would always belong to Robert.
Derek Suszko And how do you know this? Where have you read it? Can you please tell sources, I‘m really curious.
@@fragavillanuevajorgearthur9057 Brahms wasn't gay, and had many friends other than Clara (Joseph Joachim being the most prominent)
Variation 14 is a moment of beauty.
Mit die intimste und emotionalste Ehrerweisung die jemand musikalisch darbieten kann. Die 14. und letzte Variation ist so herzbewegend. Hier ist so viel Schumann drin. Wüsste ich nicht von wem es wäre, dann würde ich es bestimmt ihm in die Schuhe schieben. Dieser R. Schumann hatte sich zur Zeit dieser Veröffentlichung bereits selbst in die Irrenanstalt in Endenich bei Bonn einliefern lassen. Gleichzeitig ist es auch ein emotionales Geständnis an Clara Schumann, die Brahms liebte und verehrte. Ob die beiden jemals intim wurden wissen wir heute nicht. Viele Briefe wurden auf Bitten Claras vernichtet. In Anbetracht dieser Umstände ein wirklich interessantes Werk.
Barenboim in Verbindung mit Schumann hatte ich jetzt nicht so auf dem Radar. Geschweige denn jemals von der türkischen Pianistin Idil Biret gehört zu haben. An beiden finde ich Gefallen.
Vielen Dank fürs Hochladen.
Idil Biret - a Kempff pupil no less - is one of the finest pianists of her time - and sadly very underrated! She did quite a lot of good work for Naxos Records - it surely is worth your time if you are curious! Thank you for pairing these two wonderful versions of this gem together! I can not stop playing this!
I can't believe I never heard this piece before. Marvelous music
How lovely, thank you very much. 🌷🌷🌷
Thank you SO much.
Brahms left this sweet sentimentality There is nothing like Variation 10 harmony and no.11 is beyond this Earth !
The theme has echoes of that of Schumann's own Symphonic Etudes.
yes - but that theme was written by Clara.
The last variation is like a very tragic version of the ending of Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze.
Pure serenity.
I remember reading in autobiographical accounts of how fond Brahms was of Schumann
Am Anfang, kommen mir sehr oft die Tränen.
How I wish Barenboim recorded more solo Brahms
Unreal! Fragments 24:00 - 24:21 extraordinary!
The theme is the one of Albumblätter No.1 from Bunte Blätter.
And the 9th variation is a reference to the next piece of the set.
Mrs. Biret is wonderful, especially in Brahms's and Rachmaninov's music..
This music is so complex!
Wonderful 💫🎵💫🎹💫🎵💫
Wow, che esecuzioni 👍
Grinbergs and Rösels interpretations are also worth checking out
The Biret interpretation is very eye-opening.
as usual for EVERYTHING she plays.
Biret plays Brahms great. love her...
ブラームスのシューマンの主題による変奏曲ですね。配信ありがとうございます。
I especially love the 14th variation.
It’s like tears dropping from the eyes.
Fast 40 Minuten schöne Musik richtig toll gemacht aber könnte den ganzen Tag gehen bin Opernmusik verrückt und kann es denn ganzen Tag über hören
I am not sure about the greatest set of variations, there is a lot of competition with the Handel and Paganini Variations and I also like the Variations on an Original theme, all brilliantly performed by Katchen. However this set is certainly so poignant, heartfelt and delicate it has a special place in one's affections, especially given the personal dimension of the Schumann-Brahms relationship. Very sensitive performances by Barenboim and Biret.
I have played through his Handel Variations and Fugue and most of the Paganini variations I and I many times I, but I didn't know this piece at all. What really bugs me is that I find I lack the patience to actually sit and listen. I blame society's pace
... ; )
Say, if a person has trouble distinguishing the VOICES of a GERMAN composer's compositions, does that mean it's hard to indis-STIMME-nate the various parts?
I might be being stupid here, but how do the notes C B A G# A spell Clara?
The C, A and A are self explanatory, so I won't insult your intelligence by explaining them to you. The other letters were taken mod 8. i.e., ABCDEFG corresponds to ABCDEFG, but after that the octave loops around but the letters of the alphabet continue on, so the next letters, HIJKLMN = ABCDEFG as well (in that order). Hey - wait a minute...
I think the best assumption is that Schumann gave up on the L and R for either melodic or harmonic reasons, and used the notes he did because he liked them.
So no, you are not being stupid; Schumann, for all his musical genius, was just being difficult.
Barenboim version is transcendental, really a work of genius
Could someone explain the concept of variations to me please? Does a composer just take a section or piece from another composer and keep the same theme but switch up the pattern just a slight bit by incorporating more elements?
that concept varied in History. before romanticism, the composer should remain the harmony strict to the original theme and vary the melody. after romanticism, it had much broader concept. Brahms' Handel variations are strict (it was Brahms desire to do this in a classical way), but in Schumann's variations he wished to imitate every character of Schumann's piano writing. in romantic variations, sometimes the theme can disappear totally, only an inconscient reminiscense of it remain.
in Beethoven's Diabelli variation, he does not keep the harmony strict to the theme. but every variation is written based on an element of the theme. you have there some variations about trills and appogiaturas. and the March... right soon after the valse theme... is an ANTI-VARIATION!
since the theme was a waltz, Beethoven wanted to make a complete change in character: A MARCH!
Variations on a theme can be done pretty much however the composer wishes. The theme that is varied can be something written by someone else or by the composer himself. The variations can be on the melody, the harmony, the rhythm, the 'feel' or 'tone', pretty much anything. Typically they are on a combination of these. The variations can play around with the theme in any number of ways---they can set it in different forms, elaborate it in counterpoint, fragment it, extend it, and so on. The piece as a whole can have a tight structure or be very loose and free-form.
Don't worry too much about the rules or definitions. Theme-and-variations compositions tend to be a lot of fun. Just relax, listen and enjoy!
I don't know if you already know them. But when you listen to Bach's Goldberg Variations you can here the beforehand mentioned "classical approach" to a variation pretty good. Every variation although different in form has the same harmonies as the theme. Meaning that you can play the original chords of the Aria on every variation without having dissonances (except the minor variations).
The composer uses a theme either he composed or of another composer, then creates variations based on that theme. It's fairly intuitive.
What happened to time stamps?
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
var 10 - 28:43
var 14 - 33:11
var 15 - 34:14
thank you kind sir
I just sight read this at my school 😅
how does C-B-A-G#-A spell clara can someone explain
Variation 6 is so cool...
I find that the music comes alive with Biret. It sings and speaks. It is a difficult listen but the right pianist moves it along and emphasizes the beauty. Biret holds as an organic whole I also find that Kreisleriana is best with Grimaux or Horowitz and Waldszenen
with Pires. I still think the Handel variations are best with Katchen.
Kreisleriana with Grimaud. Period.
Keep the big line flowing is always a focus with Biret
Brahms wrote this when he was my age. How did he already have such a good grasp of counterpoint?
Because he is a Genius and you are nothing.
LOL
Jim, TWICE's pet gerbil He had studied it doe a bunch of years.
How old the you??
I m also a genius. :) At least i am a genius... World is so bad and painful, at least i am a genius...
5:13, 5:53, 9:23, 12:18, 13:58
lmao thats funny i was working on a brahms 1 video but got fed up cropping the scores. welp better start working again i guess
@@GICM you should make a brahms concerto 1 video for the two piano score
@@calebhu6383 yes thats wat i was doing lol xD
By the way, this is a misleading title in a way. Barenboim goes second, and that's pretty clear.
Nope, barenboim first and idil biret is from 19:47 onwards.
14:32
0:18
33:11
1:46
really brahms, really?
"The greatest set of variations"? With the due respect, I don't think this (very beautiful) work can be compared in scope with Handel or Paganini variations....
+Barbapippo I suppose I'll put it this way:
Paganini Variations: Texturally diverse, harmonically rudimentary, contrapuntally rudimentary
Handel Variations: Texturally diverse, harmonically diverse, contrapuntally rudimentary -- until the end
Schumann Variations: Texturally diverse, harmonically diverse, contrapuntally ingenious (see variations 8, 10, 14, 15)
Yes but it's also the most boring of the three to listen to
Philip Cai Umm... No... For me, personally, this is the most exciting to listen to...
If you have to quote for some reason, do it correctly. "Often noted to be Brahms’s greatest set of variations"
The Handel variations have two canons and plenty of role reversals (playing the main melody in different voices, sometimes with countermelodies) so I wouldn't exactly call them "contrapuntally rudimentary". That said, Op 9 is my favorite set of variations, personally.
Ill call this ear foie bra!
Barenboim one of the best ♥️
Katchen's version is horrible ❤❤
Zu sentimental vom Thema her.
Never surpassed Schumann.
Brahms wrote lots of variations on other composers' themes,lacking himself the ability to create melodious music of his own.
What? have you heard any of his symphonies? He is actually well known partially for his skill in melodic invention.
HAHAHAHA he wrote the famous lullaby, and some very popular tunes. I really don't know what you're talking about... hehehe
Oh dear... his songs? Symphony and chamber music slow movements? Listen to the song In Waldeseinsamkeit... where to begin
Melody wasn't Brahms's strongest suit, but to say he "lack(ed)... the ability to create melodious music" is going too far. He was still a better melodist than the vast majority of composers who ever lived. I'd even say his own Variations on an Original Theme is the best melody of all his sets of variations. Also, writing variations on other composers' themes says nothing about one's ability to write original melodies. Hell, Handel plagiarized a good amount of his melodies.
regurgitation of a strangely pervasive misapprehension does nothing other than to demonstrate your ignorance.
19:35