While my personal favorite of all time among composers is Beethoven, among Romantic era composers only Brahms seems to have the height and depth and breadth of reach that such as Bach and Beethoven achieved. Here, in a selection from the last song cycle–“Four Serious Songs” (Vier Ernsten Gesänge) (Op. 121)–Brahms wrote not quite a year before his death, is Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing O Tod, wie bitter bist Du?:
N.B.–naming Beethoven as my all time fav composer doesn’t eliminate the wealth of others from my listening. Not at all; it is simply a recognition of the truly great height and depth and breadth of his creative genius that no one else has really matched, IMO. Brahms comes closer than most. And with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau interpreting for him, Brahms’ music becomes truly divine, which, fittingly enough, was his frequently-stated goal.
And yes, I know the arguments for placing Beethoven in the Romantic period, but since he encompassed the best of both the Classical period and the Romantic period, IMO, I place him in his own. 🙂
This is magnificent. Just right for a late night break.