Brahms-Phantasie - SOLD

Brahms-Phantasie is a wonderful in-folio volume: Brahm's Phantasies musical scores are incredibly illustrated with 37 numbered plates, for a total of 41 original engravings (burin, etching, aquatint, and lithograph), by Max Klinger , in many colors imprinted on imperial Japon paper (average size of 36 x 43.5 cm).

The original binding is in fully brown leather with typographical data printed on the frontal plate. Decorated papers, including also the original editorial papers.

Ours is the second and only edition published by Verlag von Amsler and Ruthhard t , Berlin, in 1894, with a circulation of 150 unnumbered copies .

The first edition was put on the market in the same year but with only 5 specimens rolled in vertical format.

The binding has minimal defects, the leather cover is slightly worn on the edges, while internally the status of preservation is more than excellent.

Brahms-Phantasie

This spectacular volume of the original Brahms' Phantasy scores makes us fully appreciate the fervent inventiveness and technical skills of Max Klinger, who was inspired by the "fantasies" of the German composer.
Max Klinger was deeply interested in music to such an extent that he became a sublime amateur musician and looked at Brahms (only 24 years older) with extreme admiration. Klinger dedicated his first prints to the German composer, who remained somewhat skeptical and icy towards him.
Nevertheless, when Brahms saw for the first time the drafts of Brahms-phantasie, illustrated by Klinger, he wrote: " I see the music ... instinctively, the drawings you made capture my senses: while contemplating them it seems to me that the music continues to resonate endlessly expressing everything I wanted to say, more clearly than music could do with as much mystery and anticipation. Sometimes, I would love to be as explicit and direct as you are with your pencil. I rejoice in the contrary. In the end, however, I notice that every art resembles and expresses itself through the same language ".
It is with Brahms-Phantasie that Brahms felt that Klinger went beyond mere illustration, creating art . Thus, a wonderful artistic partnership was born, Klinger-Brahms, which would last about twenty years and would end with a dedication to Klinger in the Four serious songs , one year before the composer's death.