Скачать или смотреть Dorothea Vogel and John Thwaites perform Brahms Sonata in Eb, opus 120

We are delighted to share with you this wonderful performance of Brahms’s late Sonata in Eb played by Dorothea Vogel (viola) and John Thwaites (piano).

Dorothea and John are two of the four founder members of the renowned Primrose Piano Quartet whose extensive catalogue of recordings include works by Howells, Bridge, Fauré, Richard Strauss and Maxwell Davies. Last year, the quartet released a complete recording of the Brahms piano quartets, which they made in the Vienna’s historical Palais Ehrbahr (where Brahms himself often performed) using three different pianos of the period from the famous Gert Hechner collection.

Dorothea and John bring their extensive historical performance research to ACE’s home at Stapleford Granary for this recording. Here, they are using Stapleford Granary’s beautiful modern Steinway B piano and Dorothea plays on gut strings.

Is it possible to apply historical insights to modern as well as period instruments?

Dorothea told us: ‘Absolutely! When we performed the quartets on period pianos, similar to ones which would have been played by Brahms himself, it completely changed our perception of the pieces and opened up a new world. Not only using gut strings to bring the sound closer to the human voice, but also bending the rhythm (like in a conversation) and exploring what happens between notes has revolutionised how we express the music.’ 

John added: ‘Steinways are famously flexible, and an instrument such as the Stapleford Granary B can do almost anything, and is similar in size to the Streicher piano we hope to use on our next recording. The Primrose Piano Quartet have already used it for our recording of the Piano Quartet in G minor Op. 25, which can be heard on Spotify. It was built in 1870 and is exactly the same model as the piano given to Brahms by the company in 1868, and which he used until his death in 1897. It has great transparency of texture, and has an English Double Action designed in Vienna and patented by Johann Streicher. It may be one of the most perfect pianos in the world for Brahms.’

Dorothea and John now plan to explore the two Brahms duo sonatas in a similar way, using performance techniques from Brahms’s time, and exploring the different sound worlds of gut strings and the extraordinary silvery sound of the Streicher piano. If you have enjoyed this performance at Stapleford Granary and would like to support Dorothea and John’s groundbreaking project, please visit https://paypal.me/pools/c/8qUZC3fycI 
where you can read more about Dorothea’s research and make a donation.

All donors will receive a copy of the completed CD when it is released and regular updates on this exciting journey.