SearchsearchUseruser

Brahms: Violin Sonatas 1-3 - Steinbacher, Kulek

Brahms: Violin Sonatas 1-3 - Steinbacher, Kulek

PentaTone Classics  PTC 5186367

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Chamber


Brahms: Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 1 in G, Op. 78, Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 2 in A Op. 100, Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 3 in D minor Op. 108, Scherzo from the FAE Sonata in C minor, WoO 2

Arabella Steinbacher (violin)
Robert Kulek (piano)

Support this site by purchasing from these vendors using the paid links below.
As an Amazon Associate HRAudio.net earns from qualifying purchases.

bol.com
 
jpc
Presto

 

Add to your wish list | library

 

10 of 12 recommend this, would you recommend it?  yes | no

All
show
Recording
show
hide
DSD recording
Reviews (2)
show
hide

Review by John Broggio - June 8, 2011

In many ways, this is a fine release: every note spun from Steinbacher's violin is clearly heard and her performance is shaped lovingly in a way that shows her understanding of the part. Kulek's accompaniment too is technically well played and - on it's own terms - is similarly persuasive. Tempo choices are not radical in either direction and gives a feeling of comfort to the listener. The rubato employed is similarly not intrusive to the overall conception of the pieces and both artists must be commended for their taste in these areas.

However, one is deeply saddened that the overall balance between the two protagonists is very much that in too large an amount of the accompanying documentation: violin & piano works. Brahms was quite specific and deliberate - these are works for piano & violin - the completely self-effacing balance that Kulek chooses (it is not an engineering balance problem) to employ is completely at odds with both the title and also the notes on the page. Having played (as both violinist and pianist) and heard these works on numerous occasions, it doesn't have to be presented in such a way that the (clearly) accompanying violinist "outshines" the melodic interest in the piano part - most obviously problematic in the FAE Scherzo. It is perhaps noticeable that Kulek's biography describes himself as an accompanist - this music requires a real partner of equal standing and is sadly lacking here.

All this, for many, would render sonic considerations irrelevant but for those that want to admire Steinbacher's gorgeous rendition, Pentatone give their usual high acoustic standards; the times at which Kulek damps the strings are all too obvious.

Copyright © 2011 John Broggio and HRAudio.net

Performance:

Sonics (Multichannel):

stars stars

Review by Graham Williams - June 12, 2011

Very rarely does a new recording appear that almost disarms one's critical faculties and allows the listener to immerse themselves totally in the music making without recourse to worries about interpretive differences with rival versions or technical issues. This latest SACD from Arabella Steinbacher and Robert Kulek is, in nearly every respect, just such a disc.

 Brahms’s three Violin Sonatas are amongst the composer’s finest instrumental works and find him in his most lyrical and richly melodic vein. Dating from between 1878 and 1888, a period of intense creativity for Brahms, they represent, together with the Violin Concerto, the pinnacle of his writing for that instrument. For this reason alone they have received countless recordings from some of the greatest violinists and pianists of both our time and the past. Among these, the performances by Josef Suk and Julius Katchen, recorded by Decca in1967, have stood the test of time, not least on account of Kenneth Wilkinson’s superb engineering and the hall’s renowned acoustic. Even 45 years on their recording provides a yardstick by which others may be judged.
 
Steinbacher and Kulek's interpretations of all three sonatas have a more autumnal feel than those of Suk and Katchen, the result of slightly slower tempi throughout, but they lack neither energy nor forward movement. One marvels at the seamless legato and tonal beauty that Steinbacher elicits from her “Booth” Stradivarius in each of these magical performances. There is no doubt that in this artistic collaboration Steinbacher is the stronger personality yet Kulek never for a moment disappoints. Try the first movement of the 3rd Sonata to hear the strength of his playing.

On this new PentaTone disc Erdo Groot has achieved a vivid and impeccably balanced sound quality in the intimate acoustic of the Concertboerderij Valthermond, the Netherlands. The ambience provided in multi-channel just adds to the overall realism of the recordings.

 Since this disc is entitled ‘Complete works for Violin and Piano’ it also includes the Scherzo in C minor that was part of the so-called FAE sonata composed jointly by Albert Dietrich, Brahms and Schumann. Once again this is performed with a combination of fire and elegance by these artists and completes a most cherishable disc.

Copyright © 2011 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

Performance:

Sonics (Multichannel):

stars stars