Description
Video
Robert Chumbley: Brahmsiana II, No.1, performed by Steven Masi
Robert Chumbley: Brahmsiana II, No.2, performed by Steven Masi
Robert Chumbley: Brahmsiana II, No.3, performed by Steven Masi
Duration
Premiere
Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall
New York, NY
Ian Hobson, piano
Instrumentation
Program Notes
When I set out to compose a work for solo piano, I was reminded of how composers in the past approached writing for the piano as it evolved as an instrument. Certainly, Mozart and Beethoven made the piano “speak”, but it wasn’t until the instrument became more powerful that composers began to make it “sing”. Chopin and Liszt are firmly in that group.
I believe the full range of the piano’s sonic qualities (lyric and power) was most explored by Brahms. In considering his total keyboard output, I was ultimately drawn to the masterpieces of his late opuses. From Op. 79 to Op. 119, Brahms exploited every possible color, melodic potential, and sonority that the more sophisticated pianos of the time had. Therefore, the intermezzi of Op. 117 became my model.
There are no direct musical quotes from Op. 117 in my work. Rather, I looked at their form and textures, rhythms, and their juxtaposition of the lyrical and forceful. Multi-layered voices, strong bass lines, and vertical harmonies dominate, just as they do in the three intermezzi of Brahms. However, the compositional material is all original.
This is the second major work of mine inspired by Brahms. BRAHMSIANAÂ I is a ballet score for orchestra commissioned by Atlanta Ballet.
‒ Robert Chumbley