Brahms: String Sextets Nos 1 & 2

Advantages: Mutter's eloquence and sensitivity in older recording are enhanced here.
Disadvantages: None at all!

.... ********************* NOTE: To commenter #3, posted comment today, 27-8: the message I left in your gb, sir, should sufficiently clarify the situation. ---------------------------------- CD Notes: JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833 - 1897) Konzert für Violine und Orchester D-dur op. 77 Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major 1 1. Allegro non troppo (22' 55) Cadenza: Joseph Joachim, rev. Ossip Schnirlin 2 2. Adagio (9' 20) 3 3. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace - Poco più presto (7' 55) ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810 - 1856) Fantasie für Violine und Orchester C-dur op. 131 Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra in C major Transcription: Fritz Kreisler 4 Moderato semplice ma espressivo - Allegro marcato - Molto tranquillo - Tempo primo - Cadenza - Molto tranquillo (13' 12) ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, Violine New York Philharmonic KURT MASUR... Read review

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Advantages: A new way to hear Beethoven
Disadvantages: Surpassed by some later period cycles

...INTRODUCTION Beethoven's nine symphonies cover one of the major cornerstones of symphonic literature along with the likes of Haydn, Brahms and Sibelius. Beethoven was born in turbulent times when the common people's dissatisfaction toward the ruling monarchs in Europe was reaching new heights which finally culminated in the French Revolution in 1789. Against this came Beethoven, who was born into a family of musicians in Bonn in 1770. His father wanted to coin in on the child prodigy market created by Mozart whose father had exploited his genius in a similar way. But Beethoven was no Mozart. He wasn't born a child progidy and his performing skills were nowhere near as natural as they were with Mozart. Still he made rapid progress as a piano virtuoso and an amateur composer. He was even supposed to take some lessons with Mozart in Wien... Read review

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Advantages: Two outstanding peices of chamber music for an unusual combination of instruments
Disadvantages: On the surface quite contrasting works, listener must be openminded

...procedures, deriving new and original ideas influenced by the chamber music of old masters such as Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann. Ligeti was influenced by the music of fellow Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, who once stated that "Every art has the right to strike its roots in the art of a previous age; it not only has the right to but it must stem from it". This makes the pairing of one of Ligeti's finest works with the Brahms Op.40 Trio a very appropriate one. Both outstanding chamber works in their own rights and certainly the two best pieces composed for this unusual combination invented by Brahms, a good recording is essential, but hard to find. There are not that many recordings in existence of these works due to the technical complexity for performers and even acclaimed recordings such as the CD by Perlman, Ashkenazy... Read review

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