The Hungarian violinist, composer, conductor and educator Joseph Joachim (1831-1907) was one of the most influential musical personalities of his time. At the tender age of 12, with Mendelssohn conducting, he performed the Beethoven violin concerto in London, and later

“Minors of the Majors” invites you to discover compositions by the great classical composers that for one reason or another have not reached the musical mainstream. Please enjoy, and keep listening! Arnold Wehner was director of music at Göttingen, an

When Johannes Brahms delivered his Clarinet Sonatas Op. 120 to Richard Mühlfeld, he basically apologized for not having written a clarinet concerto. And what a glorious addition to the repertoire it would have been! As such, however, it was left

A number of music critics have called Frank Sinatra the “greatest singer of the 20th century.” The only child of an Italian immigrant couple, Sinatra entered show business at a very early age. And by the time he reached his

In music, nobody felt the anxiety of the past—specifically the looming shadow of Ludwig van Beethoven—more acutely than Johannes Brahms. Brahms told his friends that it was “horribly difficult to compose anything with Beethoven standing on his shoulders.” Over a

Johann Jakob Brahms was a double bass player in the six-man band that performed daily at the Alster Pavilion, Hamburg’s most fashionable meeting-place. Wealthy families and citizens of Hamburg liked to stroll and drive along the river, stopping for a

Brahms: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120: II. Andante un poco adagio From Johannes Brahms 1833-1897 – Sonatas for clarinet and piano op.120 / 6 Klavierstücke op.118 (2015) Released by Harmonia Mundi Brahms: Sonata

During his early compositional career, Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) exhibited a heightened sense of musical insecurity. He self-consciously responded to criticism, even when leveled by his closest personal friends, by ruthlessly destroying or severely reshaping his compositions. His Piano Quintet in