Johannes Brahms' Piano Sonata No. 3 lives from its juxtaposition of powerful resonance and gentle tones – an early work of the composer, written when he was just 20 years old. Here, German pianist Lars Vogt plays Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 at the 2007 Verbier Festival.

(00:00) Intro
(00:13) I. Allegro maestoso
(10:21) II. Andante
(20:51) III. Scherzo
(25:22) IV. Intermezzo
(28:32) V. Finale

Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg in 1833, the son of a professional musician. He first performed in front of an audience at the age of 15. His first concert tour in 1853 took him to the Rhine, where he would meet composer Robert Schumann and his wife, pianist Clara Schumann – a fateful encounter that was to rapidly advance his career and shape the course of his whole life.

On the Rhine trip, Brahms composed the Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5. The second movement is preceded by three lines of verse by German writer C.O. Sternau, lending the composition a romantic air:

"Through evening's shade, the pale moon gleams
While rapt in love's ecstatic dreams
Two hearts are fondly beating."

The Piano Sonata No. 3 was first performed by Clara Schumann in 1854 in Leipzig's Gewandhaus, though she played only the second and third movements. The full premiere would take place six weeks later in Magdeburg, performed by Hermann Richter.

German pianist Lars Vogt (1970-2022) was an especially sensitive musician, and made an early career as a soloist. In 1990 he took second place at the Leeds Piano Competition, going on to perform with many major symphony orchestras. He also made a name for himself as a conductor, becoming the music director of the Orchestre de chambre de Paris in 2019. Lars Vogt died in September of 2022 at the age of just 51.

© Idéale Audience & Arte France 2007

Watch more concerts in your personal concert hall:
   • LISTEN AND WATCH - your personal conc...  

Subscribe to DW Classical Music:
   / dwclassicalmusic  

#brahms #pianosolo #sonata