Brahms: Variations
Label: HARMONIA MUNDI Catalog: 907392 Format: CD Olga Kern - PianoVariations on a Hungarian Song, op.21 #2; Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, op.24; Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, book 1; Variations on a Theme by Paganini, op. 35, Book 2 The variations on a theme by Handel, and the two sets of variations on a theme by Paganini must be among the most difficult piano music Brahms ever wrote, requiring an almost super-human technique – as challenging for the pianist as Paganini’s etudes are for the violin. Not surprisingly, Ms Kern effortlessly captures the ever-changing moods of the music, from the delicacy of Variation 5 in the first set, to the robust bravura of the first variation in the second. Price: $22.98 |