Honens @ Home: Aristo Sham performs Brahms

This week, we're pleased to share Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Op. 24 by Johannes Brahms, performed live by Semifinalist Aristo Sham at the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition.Composed in 1861 and dedicated to Clara Schumann, this is a work of "massive scope and dazzling variety." As Jon Kimura Parker explains, Brahms stuck with classical forms after many of his contemporaries moved on. In this piece, Brahms used a "Baroque theme, strict variations, and richness and scope of the piano technique, showcasing him as a preserver and representative of tradition."According to Hyperion, "even Wagner saw its significance when Brahms played it to him, commenting grandly that it showed what could still be done with the old forms by someone who knew how to use them."- Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.