Sonates pour alto et piano Numéro 1 et 2 / Marchenbilder

Description

"Mühlfeld or bring a viola part – for two clarinet sonatas that I would like to have played for Mrs. Schumann. These unpretentious pieces would not disturb our comfort – but it would be nice!" This is what Johannes Brahms, then 61 years old, wrote to his friend, the violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim, on October 14, 1894. Even this brief note reveals the composer's early intention to have his two sonatas, op. 120, performed alternately by a wind instrument or by the viola. Proof that these works are much more than "unpretentious," the Salzburg violinist and violist Thomas Albertus Irnberger, accompanied by his faithful piano partner Michael Korstick, presents a new facet of Brahms. Robert Schumann's "Märchenbilder," op. 113, represents another highlight of the repertoire for viola and piano.