Brahms wrote his six Klavierstücke Op.118 in 1893 during his yearly summer vacation at the Austrian spa town Bad Ischl. These short pieces were written for Clara Schumann, who was still a formidable pianist in her 70s. No one knows just how deep the feelings between Clara and Johannes were after her husband Robert’s death in 1856, but it's obvious that the two loved each other very dearly. The tender, dreamy longing of this music makes many listeners feel it is a secret musical love-letter to Clara.

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