Double Concerto in A minor, opus 102, for violin and cello with piano (urtext); Johannes Brahms (G. Henle Verlag)

Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102 for violin, cello, and piano by Johannes Brahms

Urtext Edition by Michael Struck. Markings by Frank Peter Zimmermann and Heinrich Schiff. Published by Henle

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was a significant German composer whose music is often considered to represent the apex of 19th century romanticism. He aligned himself with baroque and classical traditions with his structural coherence and contrapuntal mastery, yet he was also considered a progressive in his freer treatment of dissonance, rhythm, and motivic development. His music is known for its meticulous, intelligent craft, as well as its uniquely introspective and tender emotional core.

Brahms's Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102 for violin, cello, and orchestra (1887) was his last work for orchestra, composed in part as a gesture of reconciliation to violinist Joseph Joachim after their friendship had soured. It incorporates a variation of Joachim's F-A-E motto (which had also appeared in the collaborative F-A-E sonata of their youth). The double concerto is a big-boned titan written in Brahms's characteristically lean and severe late style; despite its austere and noble seriousness, there is much of the composer’s subtle wit, sensitive tenderness, and rich detail to be found, as well as some of his most progressive developments of variation and form. The work joins Beethoven's Triple Concerto as one of the repertory’s grandest pairings of violin and cello in concerto form. This premium Henle urtext edition is based on the Brahms Complete Edition and contains historical and critical commentary, as well as marked and unmarked string parts. Includes parts and piano score. Master level, Grade 6.