Brahms: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2

Johannes Brahms (Composer), Emanuel Ax (Performer), Yo-Yo Ma (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma
• Composer: Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (August 11, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000009W8G
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,862 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ma expresses rich tonality, October 30, 1999

By 

Paul J. Vest (Branchville, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brahms: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

An avid cellist myself, nearly any recording of a work for cello will find a place in my library--but Ma's recording of the Brahms' Cello Sonatas in E-minor and F-minor find a special place. Brahms always sought warmth and a tonal depth in his compositions--and therefore favored the clarinet, oboe, and cello among orchestra instruments. His writings for cello express his passionate empathy for the instrument, and Ma does a masterful job of extending this to the listener. The E-minor sonata is a story in itself. The darkness and light of the first movement; the playfulness of the second; and the whirlwind frenzy of the Third--which brings afterthoughts of the minuet to the audience. I highly recommend this recording to all music lovers--you can't go wrong here!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect music and great performers., March 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brahms: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

Brahms Cello Sonatas are in my opinion two of the greatest pieces ever composed for the Cello. At first, I didn't like Mr. Ma's interpretation of the 1st Sonata. I always imagined it to be dark and heavy (and that was the way I used to play it) and he made it sound a little too "light" for my taste. But the performance of the 2nd sonata made it all worthwhile. Ma and Ax are great performers and work together well.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very mild, underplayed Brahms (and so is the remake), August 9, 2006

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Brahms: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

The two Brhams cello sonatas are passionate works, but you'd never know it by Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma, who from beginning to end are mild to the point of being tepid. Clearly this represents their joint view of these geat works, because their later remake on Sony adheres to the same line. Perhaps Ax is duller here, but he's dull enough the second time around.

What makes this CD so odd is that when they join up with Isaac Stern to play other Brahms chamber music, Ax and Ma are full of passion and life. If you want those qualities in the cello sonatas, however, you'll have to turn to Du Pre, Rostropovich, or Heinrich Schiff, all of whom stir the blood.