# Brahms Sarabandes, WoO 5



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I was just wondering if anybody else had heard these two little pieces without opus number that aren't often recorded, even in a collection of the 'complete' works.

I'd never heard them until recently when someone played them on the piano for me, and I thought they were rather nice! Anybody know of some good recordings, or of other pleasantly surprising obscure Brahms pieces?


----------



## pjang23 (Oct 8, 2009)

Never heard of the sarabandes. Time to go hunting for them. 

Another obscure work of his is his piano transcription (Op.18b) of the slow movement from Sextet No.1. The transcription was a birthday gift to Clara Schumann, and I believe it was one of Brahms' favorite works to play. Save for Barenboim, I cannot find any recordings of it.  The Handel and Paganini Variations take all of the spotlight.

Op.18 and Op.18b


----------



## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

Are these the ones?
http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/5585.html#tvf=tracks&tv=music

Never heard them Looks like you can have them both for under $2.


----------



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

itywltmt said:


> Are these the ones?
> http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/5585.html#tvf=tracks&tv=music
> 
> Never heard them Looks like you can have them both for under $2.


Those are the ones! I listened to both of the recordings on that page on the Naxos Music Library, but NML also has a very nice recording by Andreas Boyde, which I think I've already settled on.


----------



## Webernite (Sep 4, 2010)

Worth hearing once or twice, but they're basically early practice pieces. Have you heard his Gavottes and Gigues?


----------



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Webernite said:


> Worth hearing once or twice, but they're basically early practice pieces. Have you heard his Gavottes and Gigues?


I think they're nice enough for more repeated listening.  I haven't listened to the Gavottes and Gigues yet; I only noticed those when looking for the Sarabandes. I shall report back soon!


----------



## Pieck (Jan 12, 2011)

A bit of a hijack, I was listening to Op. 76 for the first time yesterday (I'm not familiar with his piano works), and I thought to myself that some of those pieces were a bit (how shall I put it?) not very focused or clear to me (I think that some of them are really beautiful), did you had any similar thoughts about them?


----------



## pjang23 (Oct 8, 2009)

Pieck said:


> A bit of a hijack, I was listening to Op. 76 for the first time yesterday (I'm not familiar with his piano works), and I thought to myself that some of those pieces were a bit (how shall I put it?) not very focused or clear to me (I think that some of them are really beautiful), did you had any similar thoughts about them?


You're not alone with that opinion... I find the first capriccio Op.76/1 very beautiful, but I do not like the rest of the set. Op.79 on the other hand is pretty good, and are great examples of the complexity and dissonance of Brahms' harmonic language. I can usually analyze harmony as I play along but the massive number of augmented and diminished triads in Op.79 convinces me not to bother. 

Next time someone accuses Brahms of being totally conservative/regressive, you could show them these.


----------



## Pieck (Jan 12, 2011)

I'll check them today.. and Op. 76\1 is indeed the most beautiful in this set.


----------

