Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Daniel Barenboim :: Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Beethoven: Clarinet Trio

A treasure -- a must have recording...

T Boyer | Seattle | 07/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The clarinet sonatas and trio here were composed near the end of Brahms' life and are among his finest work. I have treasured this wonderful recording since I first heard it in 1978. A while ago I remastered an old LP and I'm thrilled to see it here as a downloadable mp3.



There is a fine Richard Stoltzman/Richard Goode recording too, but this is the one that I think best captures the deep autumnal beauty of the sonatas, which were composed at the end of Brahms' life.



The warmth and generous rubato in this recording make the Stoltzman/Goode recording sound a little stodgy, a little wooden. There's wonderful interplay between a youthful, ebullient Barenboim and De Peyer, who plays with wonderful restraint -- the piano crashing chords while the clarinet floats ethereally above it.



There is one place where Barenboim, one of the world's great pianists, completely blows a chord. They left it on the record I think because the take was so beautifully phrased, if not note-perfect. It's the musical equivalent of a beauty mark on this wonderful recording.



Some people are put off by De Peyer's French technique -- the sound is a little more reedy, less breathy than some American listeners are used to. It's a relatively subtle difference and you should appreciate it."