# Video: Brahms, 2nd Piano/Violin Sonata - The Best of the Three?



## MasterRaro (11 mo ago)

Hey everyone,

I decided to upload this performance I gave of the Brahms 2nd piano/violin sonata with Jason Yu, an awesome guy and awesome violinist in the NY Phil!

What can be said about this music... I personally find this sonata to be one of the best ever written for these two instruments. Interesting to note that Brahms made a point of calling this a sonata for "piano and violin" instead of "violin and piano." It's definitely a huge piece for both instruments.

Brahms really wrote some of the best chamber music in existence, and it's silly to try to weigh one masterpiece over another... But how does everyone feel about the three sonatas? I also have a serious soft spot for the E minor cello sonata and B major trio too, both of which I've played. And the piano quintet... jeez, how did this guy write such ridiculously good music?!

The audio setup was not ideal, so the balance is definitely a bit heavy on the piano.

Feedback and discussion, as always, is welcomed!

M


----------



## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

It`s funny that I mentioned this work  in here just a few hours before you posted this performance. As the title of that thread suggests, this is the work that says "home" to me. Just look at the directions; _amabile_, _tranquilo_, _grazioso_. It oozes comfort all over the place. Ironically, this is my least favourite of his three sonatas.

Good performance, I thought violin was a bit feeble at places but it`s probably because of the setup. But even if it`s not, it makes sense interpretatively.


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

People who put themselves out there on a public forum are heroes for me. Well done.
I love those sonatas. Most love the Christian Tetzlaff (violin) & Lars Vogt (piano) recording . 
Thanks again for sharing.


----------



## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Excellent performance - congrats to you both.

Do you know the recording by Arthur Grumiaux on which he plays both instruments? I have it on an Eloquence CD coupled with a Mozart sonata, for which he again plays both parts, and a Grieg sonata on which Istvan Hajdu plays the piano. The performance is a tad strait-laced - not surprisingly as he'll have had to be pretty strict about the timing of each part to make it work - but it leaves me as a pianist pretty darn envious when the guy wasn't even primarily a pianist.

In answer to the question in the thread title: not for me. I've always found no.3 draws me in the most.


----------



## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Never knew about Grumiaux accompanying himself!
There is a better known recording with Sebok as pianist but I admittedly used to find this a bit "cool" and haven't listened to it in ages. I like the sonata but I think I like the first even more. Plenty of good recordings, like Szeryng/Rubinstein, Suk/Katchen, Oistrakh/Richter...


----------



## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Kreisler jr said:


> Plenty of good recordings, like Szeryng/Rubinstein, Suk/Katchen, Oistrakh/Richter...


I second all these recordings.


----------



## MasterRaro (11 mo ago)

Rogerx said:


> People who put themselves out there on a public forum are heroes for me. Well done.
> I love those sonatas. Most love the Christian Tetzlaff (violin) & Lars Vogt (piano) recording .
> Thanks again for sharing.


Thanks for the kind words! And yes, I really like a lot about that recording. The playing is so smooth and sensuous



Animal the Drummer said:


> Excellent performance - congrats to you both.
> 
> Do you know the recording by Arthur Grumiaux on which he plays both instruments? I have it on an Eloquence CD coupled with a Mozart sonata, for which he again plays both parts, and a Grieg sonata on which Istvan Hajdu plays the piano. The performance is a tad strait-laced - not surprisingly as he'll have had to be pretty strict about the timing of each part to make it work - but it leaves me as a pianist pretty darn envious when the guy wasn't even primarily a pianist.
> 
> In answer to the question in the thread title: not for me. I've always found no.3 draws me in the most.


That is crazy to hear about Grumiaux, I didn't know it existed. Have to check it out! And the third sonata... quite an amazing piece as well.


----------

