Composed near the end of Brahms’s life, the pair of sonatas Op. 120, No. 1 in F Minor and No. 2 in E-flat, were the last chamber pieces he wrote and are considered two of the great masterpieces in the clarinet repertoire; the composer also adapted the clarinet part for the viola, making use of the instrument’s lower register. On this album, pianist Richard Goode and violist Michael Tree bring these two works to life, leading the New York Times to find “much to admire in the lavish tone and eloquent shaping of lines” in the performance.
Composed near the end of Brahms’s life, the pair of sonatas Op. 120, No. 1 in F Minor and No. 2 in E-flat, were the last chamber pieces he wrote and are considered two of the great masterpieces in the clarinet repertoire; the composer also adapted the clarinet part for the viola, making use of the instrument’s lower register. On this album, pianist Richard Goode and violist Michael Tree bring these two works to life, leading the New York Times to find “much to admire in the lavish tone and eloquent shaping of lines” in the performance.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced and engineered by Max Wilcox
Recorded at the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in New York on June 22 & 23, 1981
Mastered by Vlado Meller, Columbia Recordings Studios, New York
A&R: Ara Guzelimian
Art Direction: Ron Coro
Design: Ron Coro, John Barr
Photography: Richard Mantel
Director: Ketih Holzman
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MUSICIANS
Michael Tree, viola
Richard Goode, piano
