Search - Johannes Brahms, Nicholas Angelich :: Brahms: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3

Yes, They Really Are THAT Good!

Chris in L.A. | Los Angeles, CA | 11/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I already owned several fine versions of these sonatas (Szeryng/Rubinstein, Spivakov/Rudy, Suk/Katchen) and have sampled a few not so likable ones (Perlman/Barenboim, Mutter/Weissenberg) but when I previewed a track from this one I was hooked. The approach of Capucon/Angelich is, dare I say, very much in the French idiom, which I wouldn't have thought could work so well for Brahms as with other composers. I was so very, very wrong.



These players take the pieces slower than anyone else I've heard. If you're looking fireworks/drama, go with the Suk/Katchen, it's terrific in a different way. Capucon's playing is thoughtful, reflective, and his tone is amazingly pure. Angelich brings to the foreground notes in the piano part that I didn't appreciate before. But what impresses me most is the ensemble playing. It turns out slowing things down a bit enhances each player's opportunities to react to what the other is doing. Unlike some more famous soloists who have tackled these works, these two really listen to one another.



Their technique is immaculate, as is the recorded sound. The kicker is that the CD clocks in at over 79 minutes and includes the showstopper Scherzo movement from the "Frei Aber Einsam" (F.A.E.) sonata, a collaborative work between Schumann, Brahms, and Dietrich where the young Brahms contributed this one movement. (Adelaide de Place's otherwise good booklet notes mischaracterize the FAE as a three-movement sonata, when in fact Schuman wrote two of its four movements)."

A thoughtful interpretation!

Robert T. Murphy | Milwaukee, WI USA | 10/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I found this recording to be a fresh take on the three violin sontas of Brahms. Capuçon explores a wide range of dynamics, and the control of the violin tone is of the highest standard. His intonation is clean and pure! The best part about this cd is that both players have a great sence of chamber music, which they do not over shadow each other. This is a recording for every young college and conservatory violinist to purchase in order to gain a different musical interpretation on these "monsters of sonatas"!"

Brahms Sonatas : Goldsmithery

Renato Sau Rios | Santos , SP BRASIL | 08/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Capuçon ( who I've seen playing , too , at Sala São Paulo Hall ) and Angelich are real goldsmithes !!!!

Impeccable interpretations and crystalline sound , in this recording .

Brahms violin & piano sonatas could not be better played ...................

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