Brahms: Violin Sonatas

Arthur Rubinstein received his early training as a musician in a manner totally foreign to today's young students. His early teachers were Joseph Joachim (a friend of Brahms) and Heinrich Barth. He was permitted by his teachers to give occasional performances, required to attend concerts, and played through the chamber repertoire with his fellow students. This is in contrast to the current generation which is consigned to the practice rooms of crowded conservatories (virtuoso factories, actually) and bred to win competitions, often at the expense of true musical developement. As a result, Rubinstein was able to make the crossover between stunning virtuoso performances, and communicative chamber music appearances. Henryk Szeryng first performed with Rubinstein in the 1950s. Immediately, their musical chemistry evolved into friendship, and it is this atmosphere which suffuses all of their recorded performances. There is a give-and-take in these performances which recalls the great chamber music recordings of Rachmaninoff and Kreisler. One never gets the sense that Rubinstein and Szeryng are trying to "one-up" each other. Everything is in perfect balance. Rubinstein loved Brahms, approached him as a living composer, and the result is performances which continue to inspire decades later. The remastered sound is excellent in every respect, fully meeting the standards of the latest recordings.