(...) One of the best things about this recording from Daniel Gaede and Xuesu Liu is the success with which the musicians capture the points of comparison and even greater contrast among the works. It’s obvious these are performances crafted quite individually to reflect the character of each work. So whether heard together or singly, the sonatas make a very satisfying listening experience here. Hamburg-born Gaede has a big and vibrant tone that makes his performance of the Third Sonata especially commanding. Xuesu Liu, who studied both in her native China and in Berlin, has an equally strong presence and shapes the accompaniments with a fine appreciation of her role, whether in support of the violin or in declamatory passages where the piano takes center stage. My only criticism is that I’ve heard both more presto and more agitato treatments of Brahms’s passionate Presto agitato finale of the Third Sonata, and they’ve frankly pleased me more. But with excellent recorded sound from Tacet (present enough to catch many of the violinist’s intakes of breath), this CD is certainly a contender in the Brahms sonata sweepstakes. Recommended.
Lee Passarella
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Lee Passarella
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