Brahms: Sonatas for Violin (Streaming Review)

by Bill Heck

Sonatas for Piano and Violin: Akiko Suwanai (violin), Evgeni Bozhanov (piano). Decca. Available on most streaming platforms or for download from multiple sources.

One might have several different thoughts when encountering an album like this. First, there are plenty of recordings of the Brahms Sonatas for Violin and Piano; with such mainstream repertoire, someone is sure to ask whether yet another version is really needed. To my mind, though, that question is easy to answer: there's always room for a well-played, well-recorded set. Does this set qualify? Read on for my take.

Another thought is to marvel at the number of superb performers out there in the classical world who are hugely talented but not quite at the “star” (or to use the redundant term, “superstar”) level. Ms. Suwanai, for example, was the youngest winner ever of the Tchaikovsky piano competition in 1990, has had a flourishing concert career since then, and has released several albums well received by critics. Even so, I would wager that many of our readers have never heard her name, much less heard any of her performances. Mr. Bozhanov is even less well-known, but, as demonstrated here, is a very talented musician and has had a strong career of his own. 

One might also wonder about how albums such as this are marketed and sold. This release is on the Decca label, but a search for it on the Decca website comes up empty. (I know, I know: Decca now is part of Universal Music, but I looked - it's not there either.) The album is readily available for download on the usual sites and is available on major streaming platforms (in my case, Qobuz). Interestingly, the album also is available on SACD – but only if sourced from Japan. (The Japan connection makes a certain amount of sense: it appears that Kawai, Japanese manufacturer of pianos, has a tie-in of some sort with Mr. Bozhanov, so I am guessing that Kawai has sponsored the concert tour in which these musicians play all three sonatas. Moreover, that tour has been focused in East Asia.) So far so good, but returning to Decca, it certainly would have been nice if they had provided any information at all on the album, its background, the performers, or anything else related to this release. It's all very confusing.

Johannes Brahms

Fortunately, there’s a little information in an unexpected source: an interview with the musicians that was posted on the Kawai website. (You can read it here.) The interview actually is about the aforementioned concert tour, but close enough; I’ll refer to this interview below.

Now on to the music at hand. It’s more guesswork on my part, but I would wager that many readers are not familiar with much of Brahms’s chamber music. Symphonies, sure; concertos, no doubt; solo piano works, likely enough. But sonatas for violin? Perhaps not so much. Well, these sonatas certainly make the case that this music should indeed be better known. They are lovely and, for the most part, highly personal and even passionate works; moreover, their compositions span a fair segment of Brahms career. The first was composed across the summers of 1878 and 1879; the work shares thematic materials from two of Brahms lieder and the performers discuss it as his most songful of the sonatas. The second was written in the summer of 1886 and is a happy work, composed in a period of great productivity for Brahms. The third was finished in 1888 and is more ambitious in a formal sense than the other two, not to mention longer, with four movements instead of three, almost symphonic in construction according to the performers interview mentioned above.

Akiko Suwanai

Again referring to the interview, Suwanai and Bozhanov, particularly the latter, make much of their approach as being rooted in performances from the early to mid-20th century. (Keep in mind that Brahms died in 1897, which suggests that many performers in the early 20th century would have known him and in some cases would have heard him play his own compositions; they certainly would have heard performances by artists who had played for or with Brahms. Even in mid-century, we are only a generation removed from those with direct contact with Brahms.) But this is where the absence of booklet/liner notes for this album is keenly felt: it's difficult to know exactly what performance characteristics they are talking about. Suwanai and Bozhanov do mention expressiveness, and I certainly would call the performances expressive as opposed to sterile or mechanical. At the same time, there are plenty of other performances that seem expressive as well, in some cases taking more liberties with tempi and tone. I certainly do hear differences between their performances and others that I listened to during the review process, but I did not discern aspects of the playing that were consistently different.

Evgeni Bozhanov

Still, it's those differences that make these performances worth seeking out. I would find it difficult to single out any set as "the best", but I found these consistently engaging without being overly dramatic or going off the rails in search of effect. In particular, the two musicians work very well together, as one might expect given the incredible amount of rehearsal time that they mention as well as their experiences in live performances of the works.

One other aspect worthy of note here is the superb recording itself. By sheer good luck, I’ve been on a very enjoyable hot streak of finding truly excellent recordings lately, meaning excellent in the sonic sense. In this case, my only quibble might be a bit of weight lacking in the lower registers of the piano sound, but overall there is a clear presentation of two performers in real space, giving the illusion that they are in the room with the listener.

In summary then: Despite Decca's marketing non-effort, this album is well worth your time to audition, whether via downloading or streaming. No, it's unlikely to completely replace any other favorite that you might have, but music like this deserves more than one presentation. You also might find it worthwhile to check out other recordings by Ms. Suwanai; I fully intend to do so next.