Polish virtuoso Piotr Anderszewski has released a profound new album dedicated to the introspective final works for piano by Johannes Brahms. The recording, titled Brahms: Late Piano Works on the Warner Classics label, presents a deeply personal and sorrow-laden exploration of a dozen intimate miniatures.
A Testament of Veiled Emotion
Brahms's late piano compositions represent a peak of 19th-century Romanticism, yet they stand apart from the dramatic turbulence of his earlier years. Piotr Anderszewski approaches this music as a cryptic testament, one that conceals as much as it confesses. His carefully curated 48-minute programme offers a distinctive window into the composer's solitary artistic maturity.
An Absorbing and Penetrating Recital
Anderszewski establishes the album's contemplative mood from the outset with the aching B-minor Intermezzo from Opus 119. His tempo is measured, steeped in melancholy reflection, and this sets the tone for the entire recital. His phrasing remains fluid throughout, revealing a concentrated and distinctive emotional core in each piece.
The pianist maintains a moderate pace across the selection, consciously avoiding any lightening of the atmosphere merely for superficial contrast. This consistent approach creates a cumulative effect of penetrating regret, drawing the listener into Brahms's world of veiled introspection.
Highlights of Heartbreak and Loss
Among the standout interpretations is a heart-rending account of the tender A-major Intermezzo from Opus 118, where Anderszewski's steady pace amplifies the music's innate sense of loss. The shadow of death looms over his reading of the Opus 116 A-minor Intermezzo, with its pent-up grief finding powerful release in the following G-minor Capriccio.
Anderszewski brings the recital to a devastating close with Opus 118, No. 6. His performance is shrouded in an almost otherworldly sorrow, providing a tragic and fitting conclusion to an album that leans unflinchingly into the darkness and intimacy of Brahms's final thoughts for the piano.
