Six Pieces for Piano, Op. 118
Four Pieces for Piano, Op. 119
Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79
Three Intermezzi, Op. 117

Along with composers like Alexander Scriabin and Frederic Chopin, Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) knew how to write for the left hand just as effectively as the right hand. With the focal point of most pieces being delegated to the right hand, most composers tend to assign the left hand the simple role of harmonic support. But you can tell, especially when playing his music yourself, that Brahms applied meticulous care to the left hand note selections. He was aware that, to a certain degree, the use of different or unusual notes in the left hand can alter the tone, character and color of the melodic line in the right hand, and used this to his advantage when composing. Even the most subtle changes produce that effect, and pianist François Chaplin instinctively knows when and where to emphasize that crucial yet fragile relationship between the two hands. Throughout each piece his close attention to details in the left hand is highly apparent. And nowhere is that more obvious than in the enigmatic final Intermezzo of the Op. 118, in which Chaplin's restrained use of the sustain pedal delivers a clear and unmuddled reading.

In a previous review of his 2010 recording of the Chopin Nocturnes, I had pointed out that François Chaplin, had fleshed out the internal musical mechanisms that set a piece of music in motion, and the same impressions apply to his overview of the music of Johannes Brahms. After all if you don't know or fully understand what makes a piece of music "tick", how could you possibly recreate the composer's intent to its fullest. The audio recording is close and well captures the wide frequency range of a Bosendorfer Vienna Concert grand inside a church. There are legions of recordings that cover the late piano music of Johannes Brahms, and many excellent ones to choose from. For sheer insight and perception, this one immediately muscles its way into the top ten.