Op.117, no.2
Op.117, no.3
Live recording from "Hong Xiang in Recital" @ Bechstein Recital Studio
14/05/2023
Op.117, no.1
About:
Brahms' Three Intermezzi, Op. 117 are the second of four sets of character pieces he composed in his later years. Clara Schumann, his trusted confidante, described them as “a fountain of pleasure, full of poetry, rapture, heartfelt emotion, and wonderful tonal effects.” Brahms himself called these intimate, personal works "monologues," better suited for a salon than a concert hall. Philipp Spitta, a close friend and historian, agreed, suggesting they were “meant to be absorbed slowly, in peace and solitude.”
The first Intermezzo is inspired by the Scottish lullaby Lady Anne Bothwell’s Lament, with a gentle, rocking accompaniment and an inner-voice melody that reflects the lullaby’s sentiment: "Sleep softly, my child." The second Intermezzo features a recurring, descending two-note motif, accompanied by wistful arpeggios, evoking a lone wanderer in the rain. The third and final Intermezzo, in C-sharp minor, is the most lyrical, resembling a lied. Its middle section shifts to A major, briefly offering a more expansive mood before returning to the disconsolate opening material.
Brahms privately referred to these pieces as Wiegenlieder meiner Schmerzen (“Cradle songs of my sorrows”), reflecting their overall somber tone.