“O kühler Wald” Op.72 No.3, (Fünf Gesänge 1877)

(Music: Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). Original Key A Flat Major.  Text:  Clemens Maria Wenzeslaus von Brentano (1778-1842) , no title, 1802, published 1844.

The Composer
A product of Brahms in maturity, the Op.72 set of 5 songs appeared 6 months after the triumphant premiere. The 44-year-old composer was living comfortably off publishers’ royalties. He kept a comfortable flat in Vienna and spent holidays in Italy. In over 380 songs he created a vast body of work in the genre only surpassed by Schubert. He had a [read more…]