Wow!!!! All three sonatas!!! This was very generous of you. Beautiful, clean performance this was!!! The balance between piano and violin seemed perfect. Thank you!!
26:45 "To me, Brahms is vulnerability, and the utmost unified expression. The Sonatas in particular are a tapestry woven both of the heart and the mind". I agree very much.
This is an amazing production. Very high-end professional feel throughout. The playing is beautiful and I love the concept. The setting for the performance is perfect as this is truly God’s work. Thank you!
THIS is the sound as Brahms himself would have heard it. Stunning and beautiful artistry here. I used to find the G Major sonata clunky in certain places, although it had some nice moments... but from beginning to end in this recording, I was completely enamored; it is a totally different work than we hear with modern instruments, and is wonderfully enlightening as to the Romantic Masters' compositions. Congratulations on this album, thank you to all involved - the Fredericks, the performers and producers alike!!!
Beautiful music and very fascinating conversations about the pianos. Just a little disappointed that there wasn't a little more conversation about the violin.❤️
Interesting piano. Nice to hear this on period instruments. What bow did you end up using for these performances. That looks interesting. I really like the tone quality you achieved. I can only describe it as haunting in moments. Wonderful for Brahms.
Bravo to the musicians on these beautiful and thoughtful, fascinating performances. Many thanks to the instrument collectors/experts for sharing their knowledge. Wonderful AV production, too. So much to enjoy here!
Lovely playing, as far in as I have got already. Two things-- is the information on the bow available to put in the text? Did you experiment with many 19c bows to see if there was a huge difference in getting the gut strings ready for action? Also, a pet theory of mine-- would the gut D allow the opening motive of Op 78 to be done as a gesture on a single string, from a natural harmonic to open D? I've done this on a modern violin and think it might be even more convincing on unwrapped gut. Oh, and lovely piano! I can see why Brahms loved that brand. Probably the closest equivalent available today would be a Bluthner, which I do adore.
Thank you so much! My bow was made by David Hawthorne. I do love it very much, and didn’t see the need to try to procure a Tourte. The design is very similar and the functionality as well. Bows are so personal, so with such small differences in the construction of bows since Tourte, the majority of the different simply comes from one’s unique relationship to the bow. Violins are a bit objective in that regard. There is no particular difference between using gut strings with modern instruments, and historical instruments which have gone through their 1800’s adjustments. I do like the idea of the Op.78 opening on the D string and I do it frequently. For some reason I didn’t in these recording sessions :) the thick gut D enhanced the fragility and tenderness of that opening, as the sound is more complex and less ringing than with synthetic strings.
It's not, obviously. The shoulder rest doesn't have a direct correlation to sound / music-making, in my opinion, but it does have a very direct correlation to whether I'm able to play the violin with a long neck. So, the mechanics of how one plays is what it is. I am more focused on sound production/quality and interpretation. Dressing up in 19th-c garb is of less interest :)
![Johannes Brahms | 3 Violin Sonatas [complete] Historical Instruments | 4K](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
