Two Late Intermezzi by Brahms – Now Available for Classical Guitar

There is a particular kind of silence in the late works of Johannes Brahms.

It is not dramatic.

It does not ask for attention.

It lingers.

On March 1, MFEditions releases two of Brahms’ most intimate piano works in transcription for classical guitar:

• Intermezzo, Op. 117 No. 1

• Intermezzo, Op. 118 No. 2

Transcribed by Carlo Marchione.

Both works belong to the final creative period of the composer. Written in the early 1890s, they reveal a voice turned inward — reflective, restrained, and emotionally lucid.

Op. 117 No. 1 – A Lullaby of Grief

Brahms once referred to the three Intermezzi Op. 117 as his “lullabies of my grief.” The first of them unfolds with almost unbearable tenderness, inspired by a Scottish folk text that speaks of soothing a child in sorrow.

The outer sections hover in fragile serenity. The central episode darkens the harmony, introducing a quiet unrest before returning to stillness.

Transcribed for guitar in G major with scordatura, this edition explores spacious resonance and color, offering the instrument an unexpected depth of sonority.

View Score

Op. 118 No. 2 – Luminous Restraint

If Op. 117 is inward and fragile, Op. 118 No. 2 is luminous and tender.

Marked Andante teneramente, it unfolds in long melodic arcs above a murmuring accompaniment. The writing is dense yet transparent, emotionally mature without theatrical gesture.

The transcription, shaped over many years, seeks to preserve the essential architecture of Brahms’ piano writing while allowing the guitar’s resonance to complete the texture.

View Score

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A Dialogue Between Two Works

Released together, these Intermezzi form a quiet diptych:

One shadowed.

One radiant.

Both restrained.

Both profoundly human.

They are not virtuosic showpieces.

They demand tone, patience, balance, and control.

They reward those who listen.

The editions are now available in the MFEditions catalogue.

— Merce Font