After Brahms (3 intermezzi for piano) (2014)

Dorman’s rethinking of two Brahms intermezzi (Op. 118, No. 1 and Op. 119, No.1) are wildly virtuosic. I will not be able to hear the originals without thinking of Dorman’s clever settings, which were startling at times, but satisfying.

Shaham has Dorman's tricky musical shards comfortably beneath her fingers and the opening Allegro, with its dynamic cascading chords that descend to the very depths of the piano was dispatched with deceptive ease. The beauty of the Delicatamente con molto espressione prefigured Satie (with a romantically pulsating interior), while in the empty and discordant final Adagio espressivo, Shaham captured something of the loneliness of the closeted and aging Brahms.

Rather than a challenging foray into atonal territory, these three pieces made a worthy postscript to Brahms’ output. Full bodied and satisfying, they took both direct and indirect reference from the Brahms piano pieces.

These three intermezzi, “After Brahms”, were commissioned by American pianist Orli Shaham in 2014 from the composer Avner Dorman. They are three short pieces that have extended the harmonic language of Brahms whilst retaining the style and technical idioms of his music. The first piece is marked Allegro con molto appassionato and has all the power and passion of Intermezzo No. 1 of Op. 118 with a broad and expansive sound and a creeping line of falling semiquavers.

No. 2 is delicatamente con molta espressione and is an exquisite piece of music. Its opening pattern is reminiscent of the falling chords built note by note in Intermezzo No. 1 of Op. 119 and is such a beautiful and expressive piece. Unlike Brahms, the time signature changes in practically every bar, oscillating between 5/16 and 6/16 with a few bars of 4/16 or 7/16 also included. However, nothing ruffles the expressive quality of this piece. The third and final piece, adagio espressivo, has a lugubrious opening with the slowly moving melody in an inner part whilst the ending is more like a Capriccio. Great pieces for advanced students, with No. 2 being particularly special

Dorman's After Brahms is a standout, especially the thoughtful, intimate and beautiful final movement.

The first of the three movements…took its cue from Op. 118, No. 1, directly quoting that work but subtly adding chromatic colorations, culminating in a coda of atomic force. The second movement, based on Op. 119, No. 1, had a soulful, almost blues feel. The closing Adagio espressivo movement, the only completely original one, was ironically the most Brahmsian of all, beginning with a simple, understated theme that gradually accumulates dissonant harmonization. Shaham was a spectacular advocate for these works, bringing her virtuosity and intelligent musicianship to bear throughout.