I think Julius Katchen's interpretations are even better especially in the opus 118 #2. Sokolov's tempo is a tad slow for my taste.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GZLxOdlW9Vo.html
I believe I've never heard these pieces interpreted so freely yet so unerringly, with such exacting forcefulness, with such abysmal poetry. Sokolov frees the human spirit in them, beyond Brahms, beyond himself. Conquests in the annals of art, beyond belief.
