Garrick Ohlsson on Brahms’s Complete Piano Music

Most pianists will learn one Brahms piece. Some pianists will learn a whole Brahms Opus. Garrick Ohlsson will learn every piece Brahms ever wrote, and he’ll perform them all from memory in under a week.
Join Garrick Ohlsson for a dive into Brahms’s solo piano music. Having recently performed the cycle at Tanglewood, the composers’ Intermezzi, Rhapsodies, Sonatas, and Variations are all fresh in his mind - and his fingers. Tune in live, join the chat, and submit your questions for Garrick. Hosted by Ben Laude.
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[@eddydelrio1303]

I just love how GO speaks in such an approachable and honest manner, seemingly associating himself with all of us strugglers, despite being an absolute towering master! Thank you for your generosity Sir.

[@picksalot1]

"Time in music is not real time, it's psychological time." Thank you for that deep insight.

[@peter5.056]

This was a truly magical livestream. Thanks to all involved!

[@jwilliams8210]

That Tonebase live with Garrick Ohlsson was FANTASTIC!!!!

[@eddydelrio1303]

I heard Mr. Ohlsson perform Brahms' Piano Concerto no 2 in San Antonio. Absolutely Sublime. His Chopin Nocturne encore, reduced me to tears.

[@voskresenie-]

which nocturne did he play?

[@mumps59]

Garrick Ohlsson has been one of my favorite pianists since I bought his 2-LP Angel recording of the complete Chopin polonaises back in the 70s. What a master -- and what a genuinely nice guy!

[@DeanHorak]

Currently working on Brahms Intermezzo in A (Op 118 No 2). Beautiful piece.

[@christophersurnname9967]

This is such a good video. One of the best on the internet I swear.

[@benjaminsagan5861]

I am so thankful to Mr. Ohlsson for his participation on this platform. By a strange coincidence, I happened to sit in on a rehearsal where he was playing the Brahms d-minor Concerto in roughly 1994 -- and then I saw the performance later that week through a completely independent channel (I was just a very geeky kid at the time, so in retrospect, I have no idea how any of this transpired). I remember his demeanor in the rehearsal being courteous but confident, and his knowledge of the score plumbing unimagined depths (though I had never heard the piece before, so take that with a mine of salt). At the time, I had no frame of reference, so I didn't consider any of his behavior remarkable. Later on, however, I would discover (to my occasional horror) just how often courtesy is dispensed with, and that soloists' depth of understanding is extraordinarily variable. How lovely it is to see that Ohlsson hasn't changed. If anything, he's just grown more generous with his expertise.

[@benjaminsagan5861]

Regarding the hairpins: Maybe it's not one specific thing (particularly not one already named)... Maybe the modern hairpins represent something like the waxing and waning of _fervor_ -- which might express itself in any number of ways, including combinations thereof. On a separate but related note, I sang with a conductor who insisted that dynamic markings had more to do with energy than volume. You might agree, disagree, or a bit of both (which is where I land). Nevertheless, this idea came in handy later when I was conducting a pit orchestra, and I needed a way to quickly communicate that I want the ensemble to play as if their music reads "ff", while also capping the volume at a level that the singer can safely surmount. I coined the term "mezzo-fortissimo" for such moments, and it works like a charm.

[@darrellverse]

Brahms is my absolute favorite! Perhaps one of the most underplayed composer in competitions and recitals. I hope this interview will inspire more people to enjoy Brahms' music.

[@MrInterestingthings]

You are right his music ,though difficult even unweildy as most commentators have pointed out they are not often seen programmed in competitions .They were written for the amateur music lover and though op.79 and 117 have some professional caliber pieces few pianists want to program the entire cycles. The Brahms-Handel and Brahms-Paganini variations are great virtuoso works . They of course are played a lot though I haven't yet heard them in competitions perhaps once or twice at the Cliburns but I'm not sure the big Bflat requires such rehearsal time and forces that I imagine pianists think twice about programming either the dminor or the 2nd. I have heard the Bb several times in competition . Also , the music is mature and thoughtful and I imagine jurors have so much bias that pianists are careful in what they select .

[@jerbib9598]

@@MrInterestingthings - thanks, I never thought about that, that the jurors would have more biases in Brahms - because everything he carefully released to the world was mature (and even past mature, whatever that might mean to music fans). Jurors can't help but favor an interpretation that they've had themselves. It's difficult for them to accept a maverick interpretation, just like it is for the rest of us.. In my record collection I want the maverick renditions, but during a competition it would be like a slap in the face. That's a little overstated but hopefully you get what I mean.

[@stefanbernhard2710]

Great to see Ohlsson weigh in on all things Brahms. Valuable insight as usual! 👌

[@gregoryames2483]

Garrick's comment: "...depending which authentic edition you use..." made me laugh uproariously.

[@sebastianstern4752]

One of the few coherent musicians. Excellent!

[@88_AC]

Relished every second of this.

[@LEOCYTWOMBLY]

Garrick Ohlsson was such a revelation live.

[@quidestveritas]

Starts at 2:55

[@c_danzu3186]

You are the backbone of our society.

[@itsjudystube7439]

I love these discussions

[@rotsteineva]

💡 It starts at 2:55

[@truBador2]

It's great to hear a great pianist talk shop.

[@scottweaverphotovideo]

In high school I happened to hear on the radio (back when there were classical music stations) the d minor concerto for the first time. I had no idea what to expect. That opening minute left me very cold. Arctic trills for a theme. So stark I honestly didn't know what to make of it. A few years later it became one of my favorites, in the hands of Rubenstein.

[@itsjudystube7439]

It’s lovely to hear music I learned as a 19 year old used to illustrate this discussion

[@scottweaverphotovideo]

My favorite Brahms piano works are the first concerto, the Handel Variations, and the piano quintet.

[@raymondgood6555]

My favorites are the first piano sonata, opus 117 and opus119. But I love your choices too!

[@cadriver2570]

Crazy that we’re hanging out in the living room of one of the great pianists.

[@Radiatoron88]

I thoroughly enjoyed this--Garrick Ohlsson is a wonderfully engaging speaker! I wish I could afford Tonebase membership--or KZbin Premium membership for that matter (sigh!)--but I can't, so I really appreciate these "freebies" from Tonebase. Thank you very much for making it available here for free!

[@JohannnesBrahms]

Music played "musically" and from the heart is the right interpretation of any piece. What the composer does not notate in the score is left open for the performer to create. One could even argue that despite the actual notation in the score, a performer can take liberties that when done "musically" can sound satisfying and correct. Of course, one may ask what the word "musically" means and I can only say that those sensitive to such a concept know what it is when they hear it. The idea that music is written in stone is a fallacy. Music lives in performance and a composer's original concept when he placed the notes on paper, like any written document, comes alive only when processed through living, thinking, feeling human beings.

[@gerardchurch7959]

The interaction of these two guys look tense in many moments ...

[@SuperKripke]

Would have loved to hear if Garrick thinks that 'dolce' has a different meaning in Brahms' piano music compared with Chopin and Liszt. The A major intermezzo from op 118 is an interesting case in point. The chords are already sweet and the question is whether he's confirming that it should be played sweetly or is there something the pianist should do to add sweetness to the passage?

[@Eudaimonia88]

Brahms did not merely "call on" the Schumanns, he entered into deep, lasting and not easy relationships with both Robert and Clara. Robert Schumann was Brahms' mentor and friend.

[@bw2082]

He was probably banging Clara

[@jonnsmusich]

Excellent.

[@LearnThaiRapidMethod]

Brahms is hard! But I love his sound: like sand in the wind…

[@ericsabourin7661]

Heard Ohlsson's Montreal recitals of Brahms piano music: just extraordinary especially both Paganini Variations 2 Books and the opus 76 to 119 smaller pieces called Intermezzis. The man is so cultured, the size of a Star quarterback and a refined mind of the utmost kind, I d say "A Man à la Claudio Arrau"...knowledgeable, moving, elegant, I'd say we only have one pianist in Canada of this stature, perhaps (no not Gould at all), but Louis Lortie. But Ohlsson still superior to him.

[@ericsabourin7661]

Good..so one more program, program number 4 in Montréal will be coming up since it was only played in Tanglewood this summer 2022 because of Co-vivid...that ruiner of classical music lovers gatherings

[@astanakazakhstan3220]

Marc-Andre Hamelin is another great canadian pianist

[@anonymusum]

Thanks a lot for this lecture. I especially liked the unpretentious kindness of Mr. Ohlsson. It made me think of my professors at the conservatory who where more like dictatorial divas.

[@00ffjkjkjk]

i luv ben luade uwuwu

[@yoavnacht]

The point about webern is great.

[@Eudaimonia88]

I really appreciate Garrick Ohlsson's contribution and teaching points in this discussion. One point to note: when a person is teaching, lecturing or simply talking about a serious subject, why does there appear to be the need (and this is true especially of Americans) to talk fast, to swallow syllables, to omit words, to not enunciate properly and to basically make the listeners feel as though we were all part of some big wild, jerky, adrenaline-fuelled language rodeo? This is not a word race to spill out as many half-born sounds as possible. It's utterly off-putting and also not respectful to those who are listening and who are here to understand and reflect. Getting the tempo right and practising the soft handling of the keys is as important in communication as it is in music.

[@skeptical_Inquirer200]

I assume that Mr. Ohlsson doesn't like all of Brahms equally. Can we be let on to which of the piano music he really likes and which he doesn't care for?

[@adrianwright8685]

15:40. Actually Schumann was nearly 23 years older than Brahms

[@daisuke6072]

I get the impression most pianists are afraid of tackling much of Brahms' piano music because frankly it is just too difficult for them. In so many piano competitions we see "up and coming" pianists depending on a diet of Chopin and water. Characteristics of Brahms: nobility, high seriousness, lots going on at the same time appeals to the intellect as well as the emotions like Bach

[@FrancisAsin-Gioro]

@@darrellverse enjoy his music and choose his pieces for a competition are irrelevant. Competition has its own preferred repertoire for its own function. Can you think properly really?

[@FrancisAsin-Gioro]

You are such a sore loser. Some composers just don’t fit in a competition. Stop the BS you can’t even think straight

[@itsjudystube7439]

I know it’s Brahms when I sense a black indigo chocolate brown cloud around me.

[@eddydelrio1303]

Sesquialtera!

[@lyolevrich]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@militaryandemergencyservic3286]

Tiffany Poon is a great Brahms interpreter

[@flexaeterna]

Brahms is a "major dork", "huge nerd"??

[@tonebasePiano]

Said affectionately. Brahms was the kind of guy who kept a notebook filled with every instance of parallel 5ths and octaves he could find in music going back to the 17th century. He was really the first composer-musicologist, a meticulous scholar and editor of editions. So yes, compared to the piano jocks of his era, he was quite the nerd!

[@hb3801]

I give you an 'A' for the idea and a 'C-' on the execution. A very scattered an un-insightful interview ruined by too many unrelated and irrelevant questions from the audience and an idiot unable to put the correct music on the screen or refrain from annotating and highlighting the wrong portions of the score. Will watch if you try again; I suggest letting Garrick Ohlsson just talk by himself for an hour and a half.

[@tompianohotmail]

It’s a discussion, not a lecture. So good of you to give up your time to listen to something offered FOR FREE though. Jesus.

[@pedrod.7576]

Perhaps that's too harsh of a way to put it, but I completely agree.

[@usaroman]

It is things like these that make me uncertain to join tonebase. This what happens when you are a one man operation. I hope they find competent people to improve on what is in essence a very good and noble idea. A one stop shop where serious would be musicians can get a world class piano education.

[@NoName-zn1sb]

@@usaroman where serious