Search - Johannes Brahms, Daniel Barenboim :: Brahms: Cello Sonatas

Indulgent but intimate..............

John Ashford | Albany Western Australia | 12/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"But for the artists allowing themselves changes in tempo from one movement to the next, I tend to believe this recording would rate as the definitive interpretation. It depends on what one tolerates as artistic licence. I have the original LP, and the microphone placement and simple mixing of the day has resulted in warm and detailed Cello reproduction. The playing is accurate and engaging, and it is evident the two artists are very much in accord as regards their preferred rendition.The alternative, earlier 1955 Fournier recording apparently suffers from restricted frequency response. I have not heard the Rostropovich recording."

Not for the faint of heart

Tod Brody | San Francisco Bay Area | 04/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was glad to see that this has been reissued. Here's a review I wrote of the original CD issue:



This is a knockout. Du Pré and Barenboim dig deeply under the surface of these sonatas. I was struck by what a gritty sound Ms. du Pré goes for, especially down low on the C string, when the music calls for it. She was obviously capable of a "prettier" performance, as many passages of sheer tonal beauty reveal. But these are fearless renditions, played with abandon, with nothing to prove except to find where this music lives. Barenboim is a more than capable partner, though unlike other reviewers, I find his role to be further in the background than in many performances of this music. Not to worry, though -- du Pré more than fills any sonic void. The background story of this partnership and these recordings is the stuff of legend, but the depth of commitment to revealing this music is what's really important here. I love this CD."