Brahms
Louis Kaufman (violin): Violin Sonatas (Biddulph)
A generously well-filled disc featuring an outstanding fiddle player [SG]
Karajan – The Early Lucerne Years (Audite)
Karajan in Lucerne in largely unreleased performances [JW]
Brahms: Lieder Vol. 6 (cpo)
(Déjà Review) An altogether splendid offering from artists who know and love this music [TB]
Neeme Järvi (conductor) Great Maestros (Estonian Record Productions)
An oddly imbalanced double bill, with an enjoyable Brahms Requiem and some unbearably rushed Bruckner [RMo]
Léner Quartet (Pristine Audio)
More canonic Léner Quartet restorations from the 1920s and 30s [JW]
Estrellita (Orchid Classics)
The album works equally well for close listening and as agreeable background music late at night [GF]
Brahms: Violin Sonatas (Hänssler Classic)
Worthy accounts of the Brahms violin sonatas on period instruments [MC]
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 (RCA)
A legendary, visionary version of the sonata, but don’t make this your only version of the concerto [CH]
Thomas Jensen (conductor) Legacy Vol. 18 (Danacord)
Core repertory from Thomas Jensen in authoritative performances [JW]
An Invitation at the Schumanns’ (Harmonia Mundi)
A delightful easy-listening programme with a couple of more substantial morsels [GF]
Brahms: String Quartets (Hänssler Classic)
(Déjà Review) No lover of fine chamber music should be without this disc [KS]
The Last Epiphany (Challenge Classics)
Thought-provoking juxtaposition of light and shade, of joy and horror, so valuable in the world of today [GF]
Louis Kaufman (violin): Violin Sonatas (Biddulph)
A stylish release featuring a quartet of sonatas played by the sumptuous tonalist Louis Kaufman [JW]
Anne-Sophie Mutter – Vivace (SWR Classic)
A revealing documentary sheds light on a superstar career [RMay]
Schumann, Clara Schumann & Brahms: Benjamin Grosvenor (piano) (Decca)
Magnificent playing weaves together the music of this intimately connected trio [RCh]
Heifetz reDiscovered (RCA)
(Déjà Review) A disc of drama, excitement and real historical and musical value [JW]
Brahms by Arrangement Vol. 2 (Toccata Classics)
Three successful orchestrations, especially that of the Piano Quintet [SB]
Otto Klemperer (conductor): The Remastered Edition (Warner Classics)
Klemperer consolidated; his full Warner legacy in best-yet transfers [JW]
Willem Mengelberg (conductor) Concertgebouw Telefunken Recordings Vol. 3 (Pristine Audio)
Another first-rate addition to Pristine’s Mengelberg Telefunken series [PSt]
Brahms: Chamber Works (Pristine Audio)
The pre-war Budapest Quartet triumphs in Brahms [JW]
Epilogues (Concertant Classics)
A lovely album played with genuine affection for the music [DMD]
Romantic Clarinet Quintets (Musical Concepts)
A warmly textured and rubato-conscious performance from an experienced clarinettist and chamber colleagues [JW]