Brahms: The 3 Violin Sonatas Tasmin Little & Piers Lane

• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen":
• 1 Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen": I. Vivace ma non troppo 10:25
• 2 Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen": II. Adagio 08:28
• 3 Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen": III. Allegro molto moderato 08:31
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100:
• 4 Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100: I. Allegro amabile 08:39
• 5 Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100: II. Andante tranquillo - Vivace 06:44
• 6 Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100: III. Allegro grazioso quasi andante 05:20
• Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108:
• 7 Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108: I. Allegro 08:30
• 8 Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108: II. Adagio 04:48
• 9 Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108: III. Un poco presto e con sentimento 02:46
• 10 Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108: IV. Presto agitato 05:34
• Total Runtime 01:09:45

Info for Brahms: The 3 Violin Sonatas

This Brahms album with the internationally acclaimed duo Tasmin Little and Piers Lane will stand as a landmark in their already highly praised discography of romantic chamber music repertoire. Standing amongst the summits of the genre, the three violin sonatas by Brahms, his only ever published ones, are a pure demonstration of radiant effusiveness and romanticism in that they call for great virtuosity as well as empathy from both instruments equally. Although written twenty-five years later, they have their origin in 1853 when Brahms made the acquaintance of the Schumanns and, above all, of the great violinist Joseph Joachim, who would remain one of his closest and most musically influential friends. From the profoundly lyrical Op. 78 and Op. 100 to the more pianistic Op. 108, this recording reveals Brahms at his most intense, poetic, and melodic. Faultless support is delivered by a duo that has now established itself as a major force in romantic repertoire.

"Rarely have I heard such unanimity of ensemble on disc. Tasmin Little and piers Lane’s fluid yet flexible approach to rubato and tempo fluctuation can only have been achieved after years of rehearsing together and exchanging musical ideas. Little’s intense and warm vibrato is matched by Lane’s wonderfully rich piano with its emphasis on the bass register, ideally suited to Brahms." (BBC Music Magazine)

"The vivace sections of the second movement are quicksilver, with light and nimble playing from Little and the always- excellent Piers Lane. The slow movement is a seamless flow of intense, controlled emotion, and the finale has some splendid theatrical outbursts." (The Strad)

"The second sonata, with its melodic links to Brahms’ song Wie Melodien zieht es mir, finds Little soaring splendidly, while the crepuscular Andante tranquillo theme is perfectly judged. The third sonata is the finest performance of the three, with Little infinitely touching in the Adagio and a wonderful Scherzo from both musicians." (Classical Music)

Tasmin Little, violin
Piers Lane, piano

Tasmin Little
Tasmin has played with many of the world's greatest orchestras in a career that has taken her to every continent of the world. In addition to her regular solo performances, she has play/directed orchestras such as Royal Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, London Mozart Players, English Chamber Orchestra, Norwegian Chamber, European Union Chamber Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia. In 2007/08 she joined the London Mozart Players as soloist and director in a tour of the UK which also featured her UK conducting debut.

As a concerto player, Tasmin's performances in the 2010/11 season took her twice back to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam where she performed violin concerti by Loevendie and Prokofiev. Other performances in 2010/11 include concerts in Australia, New Zealand and Slovenia, London’s South Bank Centre as well as a Festival at Kings Place, London, entitled 'Tasmin Little and Friends: Violin Journeys'.

In 2008, Tasmin made her sixteenth appearance at the BBC Promenade Concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, London, in a performance of the Concerto for Violin and Horn by Dame Ethyl Smyth. She continues to champion seldom-performed repertoire, and has received critical acclaim as one of the few violinists to have mastered Ligeti's challenging violin concerto. Her 2003 tour with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle, during which she performed the concerto at the Proms, Berlin Philharmonie, the Salzburg Festival, New York's Carnegie Hall and Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, received unanimous critical acclaim ('the technical command was glorious' The Guardian; 'very beautiful' Berliner Morgenpost; 'a major violin talent' Philadelphia Inquirer; 'a formidable soloist' New York Times). In 2007 she returned to the work with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

In 2006, Tasmin was Artistic Director of her hugely successful 'Delius Inspired' Festival, which was broadcast for an entire week on BBC Radio 3 in July. An exciting range of events, ranging from orchestral concerts and chamber music to films and exhibitions, also reached 800 school children in an ambitious programme designed to widen interest in classical music for young people. She was Artistic Director of Spring Sounds Festival from 2008 until 2010.

Her discography reflects her wide-ranging repertoire and includes twenty-five recordings, ranging from Bruch and Brahms to Karlowicz and Arvo Pärt. In March 2009 she released the disc 'Partners in Time', her follow-up to The Naked Violin, and in Autumn 2010 her long-awaited recording of the Elgar violin concerto was released on the Chandos label to unanimous critical acclaim. The recording celebrated the 100th anniversary of the concerto’s premiere and included a re-creation of a special version of the accompanied cadenza.

Tasmin is an Ambassador for The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts, is a Fellow of the Guildhall of Music and Drama, is President of ESTA (European String Teachers Association), an Ambassador for Youth Music, and has received Honorary Degrees from the Universities of Bradford, Leicester, Hertfordshire and City of London. In 2009, she received a prestigious Gold Badge Award for services to music.


She plays a 1757 Guadagnini violin and has, on kind loan from the Royal Academy of Music, the 'Regent' Stradivarius of 1708.

Booklet for Brahms: The 3 Violin Sonatas