Brahms: Complete Works for Violin and Piano Arabella Steinbacher

• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78
• 1 I. Vivace ma non troppo 11:08
• 2 II. Adagio 08:56
• 3 III. Allegro molto moderato 09:30
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100
• 4 I. Allegro amabile 08:29
• 5 II. Andante tranquillo - Vivace 07:03
• 6 III. Allegro grazioso (quasi andante) 05:50
• Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108
• 7 I. Allegro 08:12
• 8 II. Adagio 04:54
• 9 III. Un poco presto e con sentimento 03:05
• 10 IV. Presto agitato 05:58
• Violin Sonata in A minor, F-A-E: III. Scherzo in C minor, WoO 2
• 11 Violin Sonata in A minor, F-A-E - III. Scherzo in C minor, WoO 2 05:50
• Total Runtime 01:18:55

Info for Brahms: Complete Works for Violin and Piano

Brahms’s three violin sonatas are cherishable masterworks of the chamber repertoire, the First radiantly melodious, the Second autumnal and reflective, while the Third lurches dramatically from intense sadness to outbursts of searing intensity.

There’s a strongly lyrical impulse in Arabella Steinbacher’s playing which is suited to the intimate character of these Sonatas. As in her recording of the Brahms Violin Concerto, to be reviewed next month, Steinbacher opts for expansive and highly expressive interpretations yet avoids any hint of over-indulgence: Portamento is judiciously employed, her double stops are resonant rather than aggressive.

Robert Kulek is an admirable duo partner and projects both the richness and clarity of texture in Brahms’s writing through a carefully controlled use of the pedal, responding with sensitivity to the subtle inflections in Steinbacher’s phrasing. PentaTone’s recording has real presence, emulating the acoustic of a wood-panelled drawing room.

Tempos are leisurely, particularly in the G major Sonata where the approach in the outer movements is largely introverted except for an unexpectedly stormy dialogue in the middle of the opening Vivace non troppo. At the outset of the Adagio, I initially wondered whether the players were taking far too much time over the opening phrases, thereby undermining the sense of flow. These doubts had evaporated by the middle section where the funereal rhythms were powerfully held in check.

In the second movement of the A major Sonata, too, the tempo of the slow sections seems closer to Adagio than to Andante tranquillo. But this caveat hardly detracts from my enthusiasm for these musically insightful performances.' (Erik Levi, Classical-music.com)

“Arabella Steinbacher and Robert Kulek approach these timeless scores with a velvet-gloved tenderness and affection that dispels any sense of Brahms being an 'intellectual' composer. Steinbacher produces a sensuous sound of beguiling purity that sends Brahms's rich cantabile lines soaring aloft and receives wonderfully sympathetic support from Kulek...in terms of sheer beauty of sound Steinbacher and Kulek have no rivals.” (Classic FM)

“There's a strongly lyrical impulse in Arabella Steinbacher's playing which is suited to the intimate character of these Sonatas...Robert Kulek is an admirable duo partner and projects both the richness and clarity of texture in Brahms's writing through a carefully controlled use of the pedal, responding wit sensitivity to the subtle inflections in Steinbacher's phrasing. Pentatone's recording has real presence” (BBC Music Magazine)

Arabella Steinbacher, violin
Robert Kulek, piano

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