Customer Reviews

Brahms: The Cello Sonatas

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The balance is not quite right, with the cello too prominent, but once I got used to that the performances started to take me over. Here we have two of the greatest classical interpreters of their time taking us into the special world of Brahms, and they had me thinking about the composer in a way I have not done in years. Most books and articles I have read about him have a lot to say about Beethoven, but I really doubt whether Brahms's music would have been much different if Beethoven had never lived. Both consciously and by instinct, Brahms was the guardian of the great German musical tradition embodied above all in Bach -- a tradition where pure 'absolute' music expressed itself through an intellectual apparatus of polyphonic and structural devices. Since Bach's time Haydn and Mozart had perfected for instrumental music a compositional system usually called the 'sonata' style. Beethoven had naturally picked this up, but what he forced on to it was a special dimension of highly personalised expression, and it is precisely this way of treating it that Brahms turned his back on. With him we are back, in his own deeply original way, to music using the composer to express ITself.

I seem to find that Brahms gets more instinctive understanding from performers than Beethoven does, and I believe quite simply that that is because he understands himself better than Beethoven does himself. Teetering on the verge of incoherence at times was all part of Beethoven's unique greatness, and it is not disrespectful -- quite the reverse -- to say so. I have heard far more good performances than bad ones of these two wonderful sonatas, and the special meaning these particular accounts have for me is not something that I felt at first hearing. When a pianist of very special and unusual gifts is aged 80 or so and has retained his technique and evenness of touch, when he has spent a lifetime developing an austere and uncompromising vision of the instrumental music that we normally think of as being the 'greatest', when he studies completely afresh the works he is to perform with the greatest cellist of the next generation, there is a good chance we are going to get something very special, and I do not believe I am imagining it. This is a totally unique artistic combination offering a very special -- not eccentric in any way but still very special -- insight into a composer that many of us know by heart without really getting our minds round the phenomenon he represents. This record is a milestone in my musical pilgrimage and maybe it will be in yours.

From the very first note of the e minor sonata, one can notice how perfectly the warmth and control in Rostropovich's sound match the cogitating works of Brahms. In such maturiy and wisdom gained over many a decade, there are things to learn from this recording. The full and rich, yet sensitive tone draws the listener through every movement with assuarance and thrill, and the complete control -- especially apparent in the unhurried tempi -- of both of these maestros should be especially admired. Of course, control and maturity do not mean lack of passion and vigour by any means; the series of robust broken chords of the first movement of the E minor sonata, and the passionate third movement of the F major sonata are no less powerful than any younger perfomers' recordings, if not greater. This is a recording to be enjoyed and studied by all.

I think the heading says it all, the two are fantastic though the recording does place the cello of Rostropovich ahead of the piano, but, not to the extent that it drowns the instrument all together. Here is a perfect example of mature understanding between the two players which can at times only come through a maturity in age, which brings about understanding and lots of experience. Brahms music is symphonic in nature and any good musician will know that these two sonatas are symphonic in nature, in the second sonata you can actually here the orchestra playing, humming along......... They say that Brahms music takes the listner to a heigher level of understanding and intellictual maturity, well beleive me you. As for a little bit of history about this recording, Rudolf Serkin started learning to play these sonatas at the tender age of 75. When you hear this recording picture 2 elderly gentlemen (masters of their instruments) and Brahms in the background..............I'll bet listning to his own work.

My wife bought this for me as a surprise present many years ago, having heard it on the radio and knowing immediately that it was something special. Despite owning it, therefore, for years, I have now only just got around to reviewing it, on the grounds that I find myself returning to it frequently.

I am surprised how often I hear quite seasoned lovers of classical music claim not to like Brahms or chamber music. If I were trying to win someone over, the No. 1 in E minor is where I'd start. Both works are full of sinuous, arching melodies and embrace a wide variety of moods, from bucolic charm to reflective melancholy to impassioned turbulence. Not surprisingly, the later work is much grander and more "symphonic" in character - in the intervening twenty-four years Brahms had written four symphonies - while the earlier work is initially more lyrical but closes with a grand, contrapuntal movement that seems like a homage to Bach.

There is a special appeal in hearing these two venerable gentleman - old friends and great artists both - collaborate. Serkin might have been in his eightieth year when he re-studied and recorded these sonatas but he retains a gentle, fluid touch without sacrificing fire. The piano is slightly more recessed than the 'cello, but comes through beautifully and there is no sense in which Serkin is the junior partner. Rostropovich is his usual dynamic self, producing meaty, resonant tone and making much of lower reaches of his instrument. The recording acoustic is vivid and intimate; we are right on top of the musicians but not unpleasantly so. A classic.

I have never cared much for Brahm's music. Yet, I play this cd over and over again. The music is glorious and because of this recording, I have started to sample more of his works. This is a cd truly worth owning.

For my money, they just don't make 'em like this anymore! I had this on LP and was happy to find it onCD. I have another with YoYo Ma who I think is colorless and over rated. It was tepid a d without fire. Serkin and rostropovitch play with passion and exquisite musicality. I recommend this highly.

The impressive artistic trajectory of these two giants of the classical interpretation waited for decades that by those curious intersections of the destiny, to join forces in their respective autumnal years and so distilled according their respective experiences of life the enormous melodic potential and sheer lyricism contained in both Opus.

And this conjunction was certainly, revealing and rewarding. Because there's a previous antecedent: a notable recording tinged of an autumnal approach given by Leonard Rose and Isaac stern playing Brahms' Double concerto under the baton of Eugene Ormandy, that in good measure encouraged me to acquire this album.

That's why this album is so singular. Two giants playing Brahms.

I think this CD is an excellent recording of the Brahms sonatas. Rostropovich does an excellent job of capturing the spirit of the pieces. I highly recommend it.

While I certainly enjoy the music-making of these two marvelous artists, there is discernable human noise in this recording. Sometimes this happens in particularly emotional or challenging passages. I'm still glad I have it, however, as it makes the performance real and alive even if a bit distracting.

Recorded by two legends of the repertoire, both works represent its most frequently played scores after Beethoven. (Yeah, I know ... along with Rachmaninov, and Chopin, etc.) While I would always defer to those with expertise in performance to comment on their quality, I can't help but agree with some who have noticed how closely miked both artists are. However, to hear either one having performed is a gift, and we are here treated to perfection for posterity.