Honens @ Home: Aristo Sham performs Brahms

This week, we're pleased to share Variations and Fugue on a Theme
by Handel Op. 24 by Johannes Brahms, performed live by
Semifinalist Aristo Sham at the 2018 Honens International Piano
Competition.


Composed in 1861 and dedicated to Clara Schumann, this is a work
of "massive scope and dazzling variety." As Jon Kimura Parker
explains, Brahms stuck with classical forms after many of his
contemporaries moved on. In this piece, Brahms used a "Baroque
theme, strict variations, and richness and scope of the piano
technique, showcasing him as a preserver and representative of
tradition."


According to Hyperion, "even Wagner saw its significance when
Brahms played it to him, commenting grandly that it showed what
could still be done with the old forms by someone who knew how to
use them."

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Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.