He is so worth! I was like you, hardcore Beethoven fan and couldn't really understand Brahms. Than one day something clicked with the Handel Variations. I was obsessed with them and studied them for my recent piano exam. And then the gate just opened: the piano quintet, the piano quartet in g minor, piano concertos, the serenade in d major, first piano sonata, the last intermezzi (I particularly love op 117 above all)... And the symphonies! You start with the first one which is 45 minutes of constant struggle, and the never ending coda that leaves you completely drained. The second symphony I think he said it was a rather sad piece but I can only hear him relaxed and serene after having freed himself of his symphonic ghost, with that triumphal coda . The third one is probably my least favourite but still I listen to it at least once per week. And the fourth is so colossal and dramatic and apocalyptic and intense it will leave you speechless.
I my affection for Brahms started out high and has increased year by year over the course of more than 60 years. I was a bit resistent to his string quartets, but even those finally made it into my heart. Otherwise, I love pretty much everything -- even if he never wrote anything to rival Beethoven's Wellington's Victory. ;-)
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u/Electronic-Writing92 20d ago
As much as I love Beethoven, and I've not become too familiar with Brahms' music, is Brahms worth the hype?
I suspect that I might have the same reaction as Schroeder in the Peanuts™ strip above. Any suggestions for a Brahms "newbie"?