Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Paul [composer] Dukas, Robert Schumann :: Brain, Kell, Goossens play Schumann & Beethoven

This miscellany features three of England's greatest wind players. Hornist Dennis Brain is still considered the supreme master of the instrument, and his three performances here are worth the price of admission, especially the supremely confident Beethoven Sonata. Oboist Léon Goossens, who played into his nineties, was another master, and his playing of Schumann's Romances is another winner. I am not as fond of the very popular clarinetist Reginald Kell, a great player whose musical personality often seems too precious. But he certainly plays well on these recordings, which all sound better than their age (1940-53) would suggest. --Leslie Gerber