Rhapsodies, Op. 79 (Brahms)

The Rhapsodies, Op. 79, for piano were written by Johannes Brahms in 1879 during his summer stay in Pörtschach, when he had reached the maturity of his career.  They were inscribed to his friend, the musician and composer Elisabeth von Herzogenberg.  At the suggestion of the dedicatee, Brahms reluctantly renamed the sophisticated compositions from "Klavierstücke" (piano pieces) to "rhapsodies".

No. 1 in B minor.  Agitato  is the more extensive piece, with outer sections in sonata form enclosing a lyrical central section in B major and with a coda ending in that key.  
No. 2 in G minor.  Molto passionato, ma non troppo allegro is a more compact piece in a more conventional sonata form.

In each piece, the main key is not definitely established until fairly late in the exposition.

References

External links 
 
Performance of both Rhapsodies by Louis Schwizgebel-Wang from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format

Category:Piano pieces by Johannes Brahms
Category:Compositions for solo piano
Category:1879 compositions
Brahms
Category:Compositions in B minor
Category:Compositions in G minor