Brahms Piano Sonatas, Op.117, Op.118 & Op.119 Orli Shaham

• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118
• 1 No. 1. Intermezzo in A Minor 01:49
• 2 No. 2. Intermezzo in A Major 05:51
• 3 No. 3. Ballade in G Minor 03:28
• 4 No. 4. Intermezzo in F Minor 02:56
• 5 No. 5. Romanze in F Major 03:33
• 6 No. 6. Intermezzo in E-Flat Minor 05:26
• Bruce Adolphe (b. 1955): My Inner Brahms: An Intermezzo
• 7 My Inner Brahms: An Intermezzo 05:25
• Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
• 8 4 Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899: No. 3 in G-Flat Major 06:45
• Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
• 9 3 Romanzen, Op. 28: No. 2 in F-Sharp Major 03:27
• Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
• 10 Berceuse in D-Flat Major, Op. 57 05:03
• Johannes Brahms: Three Intermezzi, Op. 117
• 11 No. 1 in E-Flat Major 05:01
• 12 No. 2 in B-Flat Minor 05:28
• 13 No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor 06:21
• Avner Dorman (b. 1975): After Brahms: Three Intermezzos for Piano
• 14 I. Allegro con molto appassionato 01:59
• 15 II. Delicatamente con molto espressione 04:24
• 16 III. Adagio espressivo 05:50
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Partita in B-flat major, BWV 825
• 17 I. Prelude 01:57
• 18 II. Allemande 03:49
• 19 III. Corrente 03:09
• 20 IV. Sarabande 06:00
• 21 V. Minuet I-II 03:16
• 22 VI. Gigue 02:32
• Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
• 23 6 Kleine Klavierstucke, Op. 19 05:45
• Johannes Brahms / Brett Dean (b. 1961): 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 119 / Hommage à Brahms
• 24 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 119: No. 1. Intermezzo in B Minor 04:22
• 25 Hommage a Brahms: I. Engelsflugel 04:04
• 26 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 119: No. 2. Intermezzo in E Minor 05:18
• 27 Hommage a Brahms: II. Hafenkneipenmusik 03:01
• 28 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 119: No. 3. Intermezzo in C Major 01:50
• 29 Hommage a Brahms: III. Engelsflugel 02:41
• 30 4 Piano Pieces, Op. 119: No. 4. Rhapsody in E-Flat Major 05:24
• Total Runtime 02:05:54

Info for Brahms Piano Sonatas, Op.117, Op.118 & Op.119

Throughout her impressive international career, the pianist Orli Shaham has displayed her unwavering passion and exceptional understanding of the music of Johannes Brahms. Admired for her interpretations of both standard and contemporary repertoire, she places Brahms’s late works for solo piano – his most intense and beautiful music – as the keystone of a collection of music history’s most amazing compositions.

Orli Shaham surrounds these masterworks with compositions that specifically inspired the romantic master: works by J.S. Bach, Chopin and Schumann. Her commitment to living composers led her to commission Avner Dorman and Bruce Adolphe to compose works purposefully influenced by Brahms. As luck would have it, Australian composer Brett Dean’s recent Hommage à Brahms für Klavier, fits neatly into this collection.

This is Orli Shaham’s second commission from the young Israeli-American composer Avner Dorman; the first was in 2010 for the Hebrew Melodies collection she recorded with her brother, the violinist Gil Shaham. She gushes about Dorman’s After Brahms, describing it as “ingenious, sensuous, and powerful.” Orli’s admiration for Bruce Adolphe began when she was a student in his theory class at The Julliard School, “Adolphe’s voice as a composer and as a theorist, with his deep understanding of how composers put together great music, makes him the perfect compliment for this Brahms project”. This release also includes the world premiere recording of Brett Dean’s Hommage à Brahms für Klavier. Written for pianist Emmanuel Ax, Dean conceived the work as three interludes to be played between Johannes Brahms’ Three Intermezzi Op.119.

Orli’s love, affection and understanding of Brahms pervades this recording in abundance. The recording opens with Brahms Op.118, the A minor Intermezzo full of bravura and confidence the torrent of arpeggios getting the recording off to a flying start. The Chopin, Schumann and Schubert offered here from Orli displays, what is an enviable technique, to perfection – the delicacy of touch is clearly evident, along with her ability to carry and sustain melodic line and shape, a technical facility many pianists can but dream of, her powerful gift of intimacy ever drawing the listener in.

Orli Shaham is renown for commentary during her concert performances, talking audiences through her concert programmes, but here the listener can hear that every work recorded is meant: Adolphe’s My Inner Brahms, follows Brahms’ Op.118, No.6 on CD1 as Adolphe’s work draws it’s theme from this. There is no other place on the recording for Dorman’s 3 Intermezzos than to open CD2, the impact of his Allegro con moto demanding attention, his 3rd Intermezzo amazingly Bachian in approach, setting up nicely Partia No.1 which follows. Brett Dean’s Hommage à Brahms nestles beautifully into Brahms’ Op.119, the Australian composers voice clearly evoking a style and approach of Brahms, but with very much his own and distinctive contemporary voice.

Orli Shaham, piano

Orli Shaham
A consummate musician recognized for her grace and vitality, Orli Shaham has established an impressive international reputation as one of today’s most gifted pianists. Hailed by critics on four continents, Ms. Shaham is in demand for her prodigious skills and admired for her interpretations of both standard and modern repertoire. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has praised her “wit, passion, delicacy, and humor”; and The Guardian has called Ms. Shaham’s playing “perfection.”

Orli Shaham’s performance schedule brings her to concert halls from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House and most of the major venues in between, for recitals, chamber music, and concerti. Ms. Shaham has performed with nearly every major American orchestra, as well as many in Europe, Asia, and Australia. A frequent guest at summer festivals, her appearances include Tanglewood, Ravinia, Verbier, Mostly Mozart, and Aspen. Devoted to the intimate genre of chamber music, Ms. Shaham serves as curator and performer in Pacific Symphony’s chamber music series in Costa Mesa, California.

In addition to American Grace, Ms. Shaham is in the midst of a multi-volume recording project centering around the late works of Johannes Brahms. The recordings feature compositions by Brahms and related music from the classical canon, alongside new works commissioned by Ms. Shaham. Her wide variety of repertoire is reflected in her large discography, including Nigunim: Hebrew Melodies (CC10) with her brother, the violinist Gil Shaham, which includes the world premiere of a work by Avner Dorman, commissioned by Orli and Gil Shaham; Saint- Saens’ Carnival of the Animals with the pianist Jon Kimura Parker and the San Diego Symphony; and a CD of chamber music, including the Brahms Horn Trio featuring Richard King. Orli and Gil Shaham have collaborated on several other recordings including Dvoˇrák for Two, The Prokofiev Album (CC02), and Mozart in Paris (CC01).

Driven by a passion to bring classical music to new audiences, Orli Shaham maintains an active parallel career as a respected broadcaster, music writer, and lecturer. On radio, she has hosted the nationally-broadcast Dial-a-Musician and America’s Music Festivals series, and served as artist in residence on National Public Radio’s Performance Today.

Inspired by her enthusiasm for introducing young children to the pleasures of music, Orli Shaham created Baby Got Bach, a series of interactive classical concerts for young children which has a devoted following in New York, St. Louis and other locations. As part of the Baby Got Bach program, she continually adds to the repertoire by commissioning notable composers to write music for pianist with audience participation.

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