Brahms’s Trio op.114, originally conceived for clarinet (like the two Sonatas op.120), is presented here in its version with viola: ‘Like all Brahms’s works, this trio is a vocal, melodic piece. And the viola is perhaps the instrument of the string quartet that comes closest to the human voice’, says violist Miguel Da Silva. ‘This version with viola obliges me, as a cellist, to listen differently: our two stringed instruments must “breathe” together and match their articulation’, continues Xavier Phillips. These three works from late in Brahms’s career testify to his modernity: ‘Brahms was often considered a classical composer who was impervious to modernity, the guardian of a certain tradition’, says pianist François-Frédéric Guy, who agrees with Schoenberg that he was, on the contrary, highly innovative: ‘We have a fine example, in the trio, of the extraordinary modernity of his combinations of rhythm and timbre: he is a total innovator.'
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Reviews
“… In all, a beautiful listening experience that justifies a warm recommendation.”
Huntley Dent – Fanfare – July/August 2021
***** Coup de Cœur
Fabienne Bouvet – Classica magazine (France) – May 2021
“… All things considered, this is a highly persuasive disc of very fine chamber music making. I did not think that I could be shaken from preferring the clarinet versions of these works, but Da Silva and friends make the strongest possible case for the viola alternatives and I find myself wavering. I will certainly be returning to these performances of great nobility, poetry and insight.”
David McDade – MusicWeb-Interntional.com – 20 April 2021
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