Sonata for violin & piano No. 1 in G major ("Regen"), Op. 78
Sonata for violin & piano No. 2 in A major ("Thun"), Op. 100
Sonata for violin & piano No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108
Johannes Brahms' three sonatas for violin and piano, written in the late 1870s and late 1880s, belong with the composer's intricate late chamber works in their overall conception. Even the Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78, almost contemporary with the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, has a different effect: the opening theme is pregnant with small details that take on greater significance as the movement progresses. The challenge for the player is to balance the intricacy with the big Brahmsian melodies that appear ...
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Johannes Brahms' three sonatas for violin and piano, written in the late 1870s and late 1880s, belong with the composer's intricate late chamber works in their overall conception. Even the Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78, almost contemporary with the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, has a different effect: the opening theme is pregnant with small details that take on greater significance as the movement progresses. The challenge for the player is to balance the intricacy with the big Brahmsian melodies that appear in the slow movements or as internal themes in the outer ones. In this fine live performance by British violinist Anthony Marwood and Serbian pianist Aleksandar Madzar, the scale is tilted toward the detailed unpacking of the material. The overall mood is restrained, but the performers' control over the motivic development of the material is impressive. This is especially noteworthy in Marwood's case, inasmuch as the music doesn't fit particularly well under the violinist's fingers;...
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