There is a very personal and touching background to Brahms’s late piano works. Op. 118 was written in 1893, towards the end of his life, and together with Opp. 116, 117, and 119, these are his final works for solo piano. Behind the fairly simple titles we find some of Brahms’s most intimate and beautiful music. In this Intermezzo, pay particular attention to the voicing and the different textures Brahms uses. The opening is built around a beautiful, singing melody, while the second theme is more like a duet, with two voices in counterpoint that need to be heard independently. In the middle of this section, the texture changes again into something more chorale-like. Listen for these changes in texture and make sure the different voices are always clear.