The instrumental ballad was a popular musical form in the 19th century and these four pieces for piano are Brahms’s only contribution to the genre. The composer wrote the ballades during the time of his close friendship with Clara Schumann, and they exude an intimacy more typical of a vocal ballad. The pieces, which Schumann enthusiastically praised, were described by Brahms as being “not too difficult to play and even less difficult to understand.”<br>
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Brahms’s Ballades op. 10 form an integral part of the advanced piano literature. This publication represents a valuable addition to the repertoire of Brahms’s piano works in Bärenreiter Urtext editions. The fingering by Brahms specialist Christian Köhn, the clear notation and optimum page turns fulfil the requirements of a practical performing edition. A detailed foreword with information on performance practice, the compositional process, sources and the significance of the work completes the edition.<br>
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The editor<br>
Christian Köhn teaches piano at the Musikhochschule in Detmold. One of his specialties is the piano music of Johannes Brahms. Together with his duet partner Silke-Thora Matthies, he is a prize-winner of the Munich Competition and has released the world's first complete recording of Brahms's works for piano duet. In addition to the Serenades for piano four-hands, opp. 11 and 16 (BA 6570 and 6571), he has already edited many of Brahms's solo piano works for Bärenreiter.<br>