The middle Intermezzo in the Op. 117 set is more restless than the outer ones, but still shows much nostalgia and introspection. Here we taker a proper look at the original and pianistic textures that makes this piece flow so seductively. With pianist Henrik Kilhamn.

Video: https://youtu.be/rf5vdR4fqys

Brahms Intermezzo in Eb major, Op. 117 no. 1 is a kind of sweet lullaby but with a disturbingly dark middle section. What is that about? The gorgeous music draws you in with its lush harmonies and rich textures, and tells a compelling but unclear story. With Henrik Kilhamn, piano.

Video: https://youtu.be/95nEeUymyaY

In this episode we'll see how Tchaikovsky summons the exotic arabian dancers in the Nutcracker ballet, using modal mixture, oriental ornaments and meandering structural segments over a rhythmic ostinato. With your analysis guide Henrik Kilhamn.

Video: https://youtu.be/9xoCT93XfjY

Debussy paints a musical depiction of dead leaves with dissonant harmonies and eerie and fragmented lines in his "Feuilles mortes," Prelude no. 2 from the second volume of preludes. It shows a lot of his typical features such as sequential rather than functional harmony, block chords, and a maximal use of different piano registers. With Henrik Kilhamn, piano.

The piece was a Patreon request by L. von Geist.

Video: https://youtu.be/pWmycfBX2zg

Tchaikovsky made the piano arrangement to his "Nutcracker" ballet music himself. The March is one of his most known tunes that immediately summons the Christmas spirit with its high energy marching features. Any ballet production tells the story of toy soldiers coming to life, but in this video we look at the music only. Henrik Kilhamn, piano.

Video: https://youtu.be/PrZ15Lo2s6A

Faurés mature style explores the chromatic depths of counterpoint while retaining a radiant surface, and his 6th Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 63, is a great example that holds together three disparate ideas beautifully. 

This video is on the advanced side of analysis on the channel, e.g. some concepts are used freely in order to get more complex points through. If you don't know them this should still give some good context for getting acquainted with them (things like cadence, sequence, appoggiatura etc.) 

The piece was a Patreon request by S. Lam.

Video: https://youtu.be/K5emh7NdGYE

Gabriel Fauré's Pavane is one of those pieces that just speaks directly to your heart with an air of nobility intact. The composition is a masterclass in coherent melodic structure and the use of coloring notes in harmony.

Video: https://youtu.be/9ucfVYrbCDg

"Vogel als Prophet" (Bird as prophet) is a peculiar piece in Robert Schumann's Waldszenen suite Op. 82. On closer inspection we find the most prominent feature to be arpeggios leading to quite dissonant appoggiaturas. As often with Schumann, he strikes a balance between the playful and the profound. With pianist Henrik Kilhamn.

Video: https://youtu.be/ic7cXHujqA8

Chopin's 1st Ballade in G minor has a special place in the hearts of many pianists and piano lovers. It has many characters who all speak directly and poignantly, and Chopin lets them evolve organically within the Ballade. It's a story without any explicit drama, but with intense dramatic content nevertheless. And it's especially one chord that sets the tone. With pianist Henrik Kilhamn.

Video: https://youtu.be/7kfJvpODcXM

The piece that starts Waldszenen (Forest scenes) is "Eintritt", an Entrance into the forest. The pleasant melody shifts between the hands but for some reason Schumann has written most of the piece like it's metrically offset within the 4/4 time signature.

Video: https://youtu.be/s7OI-OcUVko