Gramophone Magazine
February 2026
Editor's Choice
Piotr Anderszewski (piano)
Brahms: Klavierstücke (4), Op. 119: No. 1, Intermezzo in B Minor & No. 3, Intermezzo in C Major
Brahms: Klavierstücke (6), Op. 118: No. 1, Intermezzo in A Minor & No. 2, Intermezzo in A Major
Brahms: Fantasies (7 piano pieces), Op. 116: No. 2, Intermezzo in A Minor, No. 3, Capriccio in G Minor, No. 4, Intermezzo in E Major & No. 5, Intermezzo in E Minor
Brahms: Intermezzo in C sharp minor, Op. 117 No. 3
Brahms: Rhapsody in E flat major, Op. 119 No. 4
Brahms: Intermezzo in B flat minor, Op. 117 No. 2
Brahms: Intermezzo in E flat minor, Op. 118 No. 6
"These late works by Brahms are like a testament. But what is this secretive man revealing to us here? Or rather, what is he still trying to hide? Hiding it until the very end, arousing in us an irresistible desire to guess what it is? Perhaps that is where the beauty of these scores lies." - Piotr Anderzewski
A short album, a selection of jewels from Brahms’ Late Piano works (Op. 116 to 119, with Op. 119 No.4 being the last piano piece Brahms ever wrote) proposed in a carefully chosen order.
Brahms’ Op. 116 to 118 represent the composer’s late piano works, written during the final decade of his life (1892–1893). Here we find a more mature, intimate and subtle Brahms, far removed from the roaring Romanticism of his earlier works. It is as if these pieces serve as a personal testament.
"Throughout, he returns you to the concentration and density that Brahms packs into these miraculous creations. Even if you have a current favourite among existing recordings, this commands attention." - Gramophone Magazine, February 2026
