Johannes Brahms - Alto Rhapsody, op. 53 (Manuscript Score)

Performers: Nathalie Stutzmann, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and Monteverdi Choir, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. YouTube Link:    • Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53   Photo: Brahms, ca. 1868. 0:00 - Adagio 3:57 - Poco andante 7:32 - Adagio The so-called “Alto Rhapsody” is one of the composer’s most famous vocal works, and was the first of four short choral/orchestral pieces that are often grouped together, all of which last around twelve to fifteen minutes. These include the Schicksalslied, published immediately thereafter, and two more works from the 1880s (and the Op. 80s), the Nänie and the Gesang der Parzen. It is, however, unlike the other three in several ways, most notably the inclusion of a soloist. It also uses a male chorus rather than a mixed chorus. Brahms had recently utilized a men’s choir to great effect in the cantata Rinaldo (also to a text by Goethe). This text is a fragment from a longer poem and describes a wandering misanthrope for whom the narrator offers a prayer that his heart will be moved (the prayer marked by the entry of the chorus). Brahms apparently identified with this protagonist, and the work is often associated with the marriage of Julie Schumann (daughter of Robert and Clara) with whom Brahms had been infatuated. He perhaps only half-jokingly referred to the piece as a pendant to the Liebeslieder Waltzes, whose opus number directly precedes it. The irony is that no two works could (at first glance) be further apart in affect. Strikingly, the main melody of the final choral section is used as the ground bass for the closing “Zum Schluß” of the later New Liebeslieder, Op. 65. The structure is similar to a Baroque cantata, with opening recitative or arioso, solo aria, and finale with chorus. Brahms loved the alto voice greatly, and the contrast with the men’s voices, who enter about halfway through, is extremely beautiful. The contrast between the warm closing choral section and the often dissonant and dramatic solo portion is also effective. The orchestra is conservative, with flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, two horns, and strings with no trumpets or timpani. Description by Kelly Dean Hansen (2010), http://www.kellydeanhansen.com/opus53... Disclaimer: I do not own the audio or scores in this video; all rights belong to the original artists and publishers. This video is created strictly for educational purposes to help fellow music lovers study Brahms's masterworks. If you are the copyright owner and wish to have a recording removed, please contact me via the email in the channel's About section.