Schubert + Brahms in Bloomington, MN

This
BIS
release is part of a "
Schubert
+" series from pianist
Can Çakmur
, intelligently pairing works by
with the various composers he influenced. The
Schubert + Brahms
program here contains works that have been recorded plenty of times elsewhere, but the concept and execution from this young artist are both superior.
Çakmur
reins the music in a bit, evoking the atmosphere of the small Schubertiade evenings where
's music first began to make its way into the wider world.
Brahms
was a more public figure, but here his complex
Vier Klavierstücke, Op. 119
, benefit from the intimate, thoughtful treatment as well.
focuses on the quite deep harmonic thinking that connects
and
and on the dizzyingly intricate motivic work in the
. Sample the minute and 39 seconds of the
Intermezzo in C major, Op. 119, No. 3
, rarely indeed so beautifully controlled and clarified.
engineers do their part with close, idiomatic sound from the Tonstudio Tessmar in Hannover, and the result is a deep, satisfying immersion in the thinking of these two composers. ~ James Manheim