Antoine Tamestit (viola), Cédric Tiberghien (piano), Matthias Goerne (baritone)
Harmonia Mundi · HMM902652 · 56 minutes
Brahms wrote these sonatas late in life, originally for clarinet, and something about hearing them on viola instead brings out an even darker, more autumnal quality — that husky lower register just seems built for the ache in this music. Tamestit and Tiberghien lean into that melancholy without ever wallowing in it, and the decision to fold in the Op. 91 songs with Matthias Goerne is a lovely touch, reminding you that Brahms was thinking about the viola as a voice all along. It’s the kind of programming that makes you hear familiar pieces slightly differently, which is really all you can ask for.
Awards:
- Presto Editor’s Choice — February 2021
- Presto Recordings of the Year — Finalist 2021
- International Classical Music Awards — 2022 — Nominated – Chamber Music
“The playing of these two fine artists offers high-class musical riches at every point, Tamestit finding a ceaseless range of tone-colours that always sounds natural rather than contrived.”
— BBC Music Magazine, May 2021,4 out of 5 stars
Jeffrey Khaner (flute) & Chalres Abramovic (piano)
Avie · AV2075 · 61 minutes
Brahms wrote these two sonatas for clarinet, but there’s a case to be made that the flute finds something in them the clarinet can’t quite reach — a kind of autumnal wistfulness that sits right on the surface of the sound rather than buried in the reed. Jeffrey Khaner, principal flute of the Philadelphia Orchestra, plays with a tone so warm and unhurried that you stop missing the clarinet within the first few bars of the Op. 120 No. 1. Charles Abramovic matches him phrase for phrase at the piano, and together they make a strong argument that late Brahms belongs to whoever can play it with this much unforced feeling.
Awards:
- Gramophone Magazine — October 2005 — Editor’s Choice
“With the poignant flute solo in the middle of the passacaglia finale of the Fourth Symphony among the most tenderly reflective passages in all Brahms, it is sad that he did not write any work…”
— Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010
Richard Stoltzman (clarinet), Richard Goode (piano)
RCA · G010001641525M · 45 minutes
Brahms wrote these sonatas near the end of his life, and you can hear it in every phrase — that autumnal quality where nothing feels rushed, like he’s savoring a conversation he knows is winding down. Stoltzman brings a woody, unforced warmth to the clarinet line that never tips into sentimentality, and Goode meets him as a true equal rather than an accompanist, which matters enormously in music this intimate. Give the slow movement of the F minor sonata a listen on a quiet evening and you’ll understand why this pairing earned a Grammy — there’s a stillness to it that just settles into you.
Awards:
- Grammy Awards — 25th Awards (1982) — Best Chamber Music Recording
