Overview

Reveals the passion, humour, and humanity of Brahms behind the myth. Johannes Brahms is often cast as repressed or emotionally distant. This nuanced biography by acclaimed biographer John Worthen reveals a more complex and human figure brilliant, passionate, and deeply committed both to his art and to those he loved. Brahms's lifelong devotion to Clara Schumann shaped much of his personal and creative life, while his refusal to conform to social expectations kept him at odds with the genteel world around him. Raised in modest circumstances, he remained proudly working class even as he became one of the greatest composers of his time. From the intimacy of the 'Alto Rhapsody' to the humane power of 'A German Requiem,' Worthen shows us the man behind the music blunt, brilliant, and fiercely alive.

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9781836391975

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Reviews

Brahms’s later life is well known, but we hear less about the young dynamo whom Joseph Joachim described in 1853 as “this green-gold baby tiger”. In this sympathetic and level-headed biography, John Worthen traces Brahms’s early influences, delves into the complexities of his long relationship with Clara Schumann and explores the cast of mind which led him to remain “free but lonely”. * Susan Tomes, pianist and writer *

Author Information

John Worthen is emeritus professor of D. H. Lawrence studies at the University of Nottingham. He is the author of many biographical books, including Robert Schumann: Life and Death of a Musician and The Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley.

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