Works for piano four hands
Viennese Sentiment & Hungarian Passion
- Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Brahms had been an unreserved admirer of the hundreds of waltzes and Ländler that Schubert had composed even before he himself arrived in Vienna. He was just as lyrically enthusiastic about the waltzes of his contemporary Johann Strauss II. It is clear that Brahms, like Schubert and Chopin, took lighter genres such as the waltz very seriously. This can be seen in the wealth of melody, the variation of rhythm and the lush harmonies of the Waltzes op. 39. These were composed in 1865, three years after he had settled in Vienna. It is astonishing to see how a Northern German could feel so at home in every genre that he attempted; he is completely at ease with the gypsy idiom and seems also to be Viennese-born and bred.
Brahms raises the folk character of Georg Friedrich Daumer’s poems to an ultimate refinement in his Liebesliederwalzer op. 52. The work was initially intended for vocal quartet (the vocal parts are marked ad libitum in the original edition) and piano four hands; the marking ad libitum is apposite, given that the work is just as effective without the vocal parts. It is, however, well worth taking a look at Daumer’s poems just to see and hear how ingeniously Brahms handled them.
Given that such an album as this requires variety and contrast, we have not only alternated Hungarian dances with waltzes but also have placed Brahms’ profound Variationen über ein Thema von Robert Schumann op. 23 at the centre of these otherwise light-footed works.

Track listing
Ungarische Tänze | |||
1 | Nr. 7 Allegretto in A major | 01:46 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
2 | Nr. 8 Presto in A minor | 03:07 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
Walzer op. 39 | |||
3 | Tempo giusto B major | 00:51 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
4 | E major | 01:17 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
5 | G sharp minor | 00:41 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
6 | Poco sostenuto E minor | 01:17 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
7 | E major | 01:25 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
8 | Vivace C sharp major | 01:04 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
9 | Poco più Andante C sharp minor | 02:01 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
10 | B flat major | 01:08 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
11 | D minor | 01:05 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
12 | G major | 00:31 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
13 | B minor | 01:11 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
14 | E major | 01:59 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
15 | C major | 00:37 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
16 | A minor | 01:12 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
17 | A major | 01:35 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
18 | D minor | 01:18 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
Ungarische Tänze | |||
19 | Nr. 9 Allegro non troppo in E minor | 02:14 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
20 | Nr. 11 Poco Andante in D minor | 03:13 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
Variationen über ein Thema von Robert Schumann op. 23 | |||
21 | Theme & 10 variations | 16:50 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
Ungarische Tänze | |||
22 | Nr. 15 Allegretto grazioso in B flat major | 02:36 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
23 | Nr. 16 Con moto – Presto in F major | 02:19 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
Liebesliederwalzer op. 52 | |||
24 | E major Rede, Mädchen, allzu liebes | 01:12 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
25 | A minor Am Gesteine rauscht die Flut | 00:42 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
26 | B flat major O die Frauen, o die Frauen | 01:13 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
27 | F major Wie des Abends schöne Röte | 00:46 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
28 | A minor Die grüne Hopfenranke | 01:20 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
29 | A major Ein Kleiner, hübscher Vogel nahm den Flug | 02:30 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
30 | C minor Wohl schön bewandt war es vorehe | 01:11 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
31 | A flat major Wenn so lind dein Auge mir | 01:22 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
32 | E major Am Donaustrande, da steht ein Haus | 02:05 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
33 | G major O wie sanft die Quelle | 00:48 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
34 | C minor Nein, es ist nicht auszukommen | 00:55 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
35 | E flat major Schlösser auf! Und manche Schlösser | 00:44 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
36 | A flat major Vögelein durchrauscht die Luft | 00:43 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
37 | E flat major Sieh’, wie ist die Welle klar | 01:01 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
38 | A flat major Nachtigall, sie singt so schön | 00:56 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
39 | F minor Ein dunk’ler Schacht ist Liebe | 01:13 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
40 | D flat major Nicht wandle, mein Licht, dort aussen | 05:15 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
41 | B flat minor Es bebet das Gesträuche | 01:24 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
Ungarische Tänze | |||
42 | Nr. 17 Andantino-Vivace in F sharp minor | 03:00 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' | |||
43 | Nr. 19 Allegretto in B minor | 02:02 | |
artists: 'Jan Vermeulen' 'Veerle Peeters' composers: 'Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)' |