Brahms: Piano Sonatas & Rhapsodies - Garrick Ohlsson

Piano Sonata No 1 in C major Op 1[28'36]
1
Allegro[10'50]
2
Andante (nach einem altdeutschen Minneliede)[5'02]
3
Allegro molto e con fuoco – Più mosso[5'54]
4
Allegro con fuoco – Presto non troppo ed agitato[6'50]
Piano Sonata No 2 in F sharp minor Op 2[24'52]
5
Allegro non troppo, ma energico[5'31]
6
Andante con espressione[5'00]
7
Scherzo: Allegro – Poco più moderato[3'41]
8
Finale: Sostenuto – Allegro non troppo e rubato – Molto sostenuto[10'40]
2 Rhapsodies Op 79[15'37]
9
No 1 in B minor: Agitato[9'07]
10
No 2 in G minor: Molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro[6'30]

Both sonatas recorded here are the work of the young Brahms—still a teenager when he wrote Op 2—and perfectly complement the much later rhapsodies. These are magisterial accounts from a pianist noted for his mastery of the Romantics.