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GARY HOFFMAN 27
But when did the synthesis occur for ‘your’ Brahms sonatas?
Actually, I think quite early on. The basis was there pretty early, because the bond
with this music has always been a strong one. But I find that it’s always possible
to go still further in these pieces, so it’s a constant ‘work in progress’, especially as
there’s a mirror effect: as I come to know these scores more intimately, they also
tell me things about myself. It’s probably an effect that all masterpieces produce: in
the end, they not only speak
to
you, but
about
you.
As the years and the performances have gone by, I’ve come to realise that my
understanding of these pieces goes hand in hand with the evolution of my
own personality. These two sonatas are as inexhaustible and revelatory as
the Beethoven sonatas or the Bach suites; they’re absolutely on that level, it’s
music of such truthfulness.