Nicola Boud - Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas, Op. 120 & 3 Intermezzi, Op. 117 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

This recording brings together two late masterworks by Brahms the Op. 120 Clarinet Sonatas and the Op. 117 Intermezzi for piano, written in the tranquil setting of Bad Ischl. The sonatas, full of tenderness and quiet intensity, were composed for clarinetist Richard Muhlfeld, whose warm, lyrical playing reignited Brahms's desire to compose after a period of silence. This is music of dialogue, not declaration. Nicola Boud and Anthony Romaniuk perform on instruments close to those Brahms and Muhlfeld would have known a replica of Muhlfeld's 19th-century boxwoodclarinet and an 1875 Steinway piano. These choices bring a soft, transparent quality to the sound, inviting a more intimate listening experience. Expressive tools of 19th-century performance rubato, flexibility, arpeggiation, are used not as effects, but as natural extensions of the music's emotional landscape.Brahms once called the Op. 117 Intermezzi Inchthree lullabies of my grief.Inch These restrained yet luminous pieces distil his late style into elegiac monologues, offering quiet spaces where time feels suspended. Together, these warm, reflective and deeply emotional works offer a glimpse into Brahms' final years. Album Tracks 1. Clarinet Sonata No. 2, Op. 120 No. 2~Allegro amabile 2. Clarinet Sonata No. 2, Op. 120 No. 2~Allegro appassionato 3. Clarinet Sonata No. 2, Op. 120 No. 2~Andante con moto - Allegro 4. Three Intermezzi, Op. 117~Andante moderato 5. Three Intermezzi, Op. 117~Andante non troppe e con molto espressione 6. Three Intermezzi, Op. 117~Andante con moto 7. Clarinet Sonata No. 1, Op. 120 No. 1~Allegro appassionato 8. Clarinet Sonata No. 1, Op. 120 No. 1~Andante un poco adagio 9. Clarinet Sonata No. 1, Op. 120 No. 1~Allegretto grazioso 10. Clarinet Sonata No. 1, Op. 120 No. 1~Vivace 11. Wie Melodien zieht es mir, Op. 105 No. 1