Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Brahms: Violin Sonatas (2001) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Brahms: Violin Sonatas (2001)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:15:36 minutes | 1,56 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Fonè Records

Internationally acclaimed violinist Salvatore Accardo pairs with pianist Bruno Canino for a brilliant delivery of Brahms’ sonatas for violin and piano on this expertly recorded audiophile album.

Brahms was a severe critic of his own work, often assailed with uncertainty and reluctant to publish works he considered immature or incomplete. With the exception of the Scherzo in C flat for the Sonata F.A.E. he made his first violin solo work known to the public at only the age of 45 with the publication of the Concerto in D major, op. 77. Cheered by the great success he had had in the summer of that year, 1878, he set to work composing the first of his three splendid violin sonatas. They are the only ones we know, as three previous similar sonatas were destroyed by the composer himself. Brahms wrote these three masterpieces during three happy and fruitful summer holidays which he spent away from the city, inspired by the mountain scenery. Sonatas op. 78, 100 and 108 are full of lyricism and a lied quality which rarely gives way to virtuosity (in particular the first two), although they clearly reveal Brahms’ mastery in shaping thematic material, while at the same time creating a harmonious balance between the violin and the piano. The composer felt supremely confident with the piano and the instrument often takes the lead in melodic construction.

Violinist Accardo shines in this album of the three Brahms masterpieces for violin and piano. They are all highly lyrical and carry the vocal qualities of the lied throughout. The duo has chosen to emphasize that aspect of the music, bringing out a beautiful singing tone on both instruments that is concisely captured by the stereo DSD recording. The second sonata has a number of references to the composer’s own lieder, and is dominated by a feeling of serene relaxation. The third sonata differs from the others in going to four movements instead of the normal three, and it becomes more exuberant and lively. The violin tone is especially rich and natural – something that can be so painful in many standard CDs. –AudiophileAudion

Greatest interest musically is the Brahms disk which features the distinguished violinist Salvatore Accardo who has had a memorable recording career over the past three decades. For major labels he has recorded all of the violin concertos of Haydn, Mozart and Bruch along with concertos of Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Bach, Ginastera and, of course, Vivaldi’s The Seasons. On this SACD he is assisted by pianist Bruno Canino in analog recordings made in the St Cecilia Academy in Rome in December 1997 which have been transferred into the digital format—it seems rather odd that these were not recorded digitally to begin with. This is a SACD but not a multi-channel recording. The exemplary performances are beautifully recorded in a resonant site, and the disk is generous in playing time.

Tracklist:

01. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 1 G-dur op. 78 – I. Vivace ma non troppo (11:14)
02. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 1 G-dur op. 78 – II. Adagio (08:03)
03. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 1 G-dur op. 78 – III. Allegro molto moderato (09:05)
04. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 2 A-dur op. 100 – I. Allegro amabile (08:31)
05. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 2 A-dur op. 100 – II. Andante tranquillo – Vivace (06:03)
06. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 2 A-dur op. 100 – III. Allegretto grazioso (quasi Andante) (05:49)
07. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 3 d-moll op. 108 – I. Allegro (08:12)
08. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 3 d-moll op. 108 – II. Adagio (04:22)
09. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 3 d-moll op. 108 – III. Un poco presto con sentimento (02:55)
10. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 3 d-moll op. 108 – IV. Presto agitato (05:34)
11. Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Canino – Scherzo c-moll für die “F.A.E. – Sonate” (05:41)

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