LDV67

Even geniuses thrive on encounters; Brahms experienced a number of seminal meetings that inspired masterpieces. One might take as examples the clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld, in the evening of the composer’s life, or the violinist Joseph Joachim, whom Brahms met as a very young man, in 1853. Joachim was introduced to him by the Gypsy violinist Eduard Reményi, whom Brahms had known since he was fifteen years old and who was responsible for his discovery of Hungarian music; Reményi travelled all over Europe with the composer and inspired his famous Hungarian Dances. The meeting with Joachim was a revelation for Brahms. The violinist too expressed his admiration for this ‘tender idealist’, as he called Brahms: ‘Never in the course of my artist’s life have I been more completely overwhelmed with delighted surprise than when the rather shy- mannered, blond companion of my countryman played me his sonata movements, of quite undreamt-of originality and power, looking noble and inspired the while. . . . His playing, so tender, so imaginative, so free and so fiery, held me spellbound’, he wrote later. AMAURY COEYTAUX, GEOFFROY COUTEAU 15