Search - Johannes Brahms, Daniel Barenboim :: Brahms:The Violin and Viola Sonatas

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Itamar Ronen | Boston, MA USA | 06/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Chamber music is a tricky thing, particularly for musicians with a highly personal musical style. How do you share a composition with other player(s) without compromising what you want to do with the piece? In intrinsically balanced compositions, such as string quartets, the problem seems to be more manageable. In sonatas for instrument and piano, however, the issue is much more tangible. The challenge can be tackled in various ways: the Perlman/Ashkenazy approach is one of perfect matching of interpretaion, which leads to a very smooth and "clean" result. The Zukerman/Barenboim approach is more liberal. The phrasing of the two is not identical, Barenboim sometimes brings things "out" that Zukerman does not, etc. The end result is gritty (partly also because of the wonderful "earthliness" of Zukerman's tone) dramatic and highly poetic, not in a sweet way. This is a magical performance. It perhaps takes a little while to get used to this higly individual approach (I was very used to the Perlman/Ashkenazy couple, in particular in their stellar Beethoven set, so I had to adjust a little...) but what can I say - I became addicted..."

This is THE BRAHMS VIOLIN SONATAS COLLECTION

Benjamin Bolival | The Peninsula of the Bay Area | 03/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If Franks and Serkin get a 5-star rating for their Brahms Violin Sonata performance, Zukerman and Barenboim get a 6-star! I own both cds and the Zukerman/Barenboim version is more solid in sound and rendered with more emotion than the Franks/Serkin version. Besides, with the Zukerman/Barenboim version you get more Brahms for your money. A no-brainer, a must for any Brahms collector !"

Astounding renditions of these masterpieces

Jeremy Desiderio | Philadelphia, PA USA | 11/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I will admit that this is the only version of the Brahms violin/viola sonatas that I have heard, but I can say with full confidence that it does not get any better than this. The sublime richness of Pinchas Zukerman's tone on both instruments coupled with the playing of Daniel Barenboim, arguably the greatest interpreter of Brahms in the world today, makes for a musical experience that will utterly transport the listener into a world beyond this. Brahms himself would be extremely proud of these two musical luminaries, insightfully and meticulously bringing out all of the subtle nuances in these complex works. If you are looking for Brahms that is not heavy and bombastic but thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless, buy these sonatas - this set. Highlights are the lyrical A major sonata and the darkly passionate D minor sonata (I cannot get enough of the D minor)."