This two-disc set of Brahms' complete works for violin and piano by Ulf Wallin and Roland Pöntinen is unreservedly worth hearing. First, it has Brahms' complete works for violin and piano: the three canonical sonatas, the familiar Scherzo from the early F.A.E. Sonata, and the composer's own rarely performed arrangements of the two late sonatas originally written for clarinet, then for viola. These arrangements have only been published twice -- once in the composer's lifetime and then again in 1963 -- and this recording is one of the very, very few ever made. Based on the evidence presented here, that is tremendously unfortunate because Brahms' violin arrangement not only moves the clarinet line up an octave, it adds double and triple stops along with all manner of other adjustments to make it more idiomatically a string piece than his viola arrangement. Second, it contains performances that rank among the best of the digital era. Violinist Wallin has an unstoppable technique and a sweet but still searing tone; pianist Pöntinen likewise has an indomitable technique and a bright but full-bodied tone; together, they seem entirely under the skin of Brahms' music, making a compelling case not only for the canonical and the familiar, but the rarely performed, as well. Recorded in close and immediate digital sound, this disc should be heard by anyone who reveres the works of the German late-Romantic master. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide
