BRAHMS' PIANO WORKS
Played by HOWARD JoNES
Ballad in G Minor (Op. 118, No. 3)
Intermezzo in E Flat Minor (Op. 118, No. 6)
Intermezzo in C (Op. 119, No. 3) fTIHE Ballad is one of the set of six pieces that make up Op. 118, written in 1893, the composer's sixtieth year. It is short, crisp and vigorous, with a sweet lyrical interlude in the middle. A momentary reminiscence of this gentler strain forms its happy end.
The minor-key Intermezzo is a stirring, dramatic piece, full of vivid life and, perhaps it may be felt, a sense of conflict.
The other, the major-key Intermezzo, is marked
'graceful and jocose.' Its happy little tune gobs singing along beneath an overhanging arch of light foliage.