Lena Eckels - Friendship Brahms - Joachim

A wonderful CD by violist Prof.Lena Eckels. With Sophie Harmsen mezzo-soprano and Simone Wolff on piano, Lena Eckels presents a rare musical portrait of the 40-year friendship between Johannes Brahms and the famous violinist Josef Joachim.

Here the instrument of Lena Eckels, whose viola is a reconstructed Gasparo da Salo from the Lübeck workshop of Haat-Hedlef Uilderks, becomes an all-embracing, as it were self-actualising singer. Its sound feels, probably not only for amateur listeners, a few nuances deeper (which is due to the special viola), and this of all things lends it even more heart-warmth than one might have wanted to endure for this three-movement piece; very, very beautiful as a round, whole.
Rezenion Kultura Extra

The following works can be heard on the CD:

Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)

2 Gesänge op. 91 Nr. 1-2
Die Gedichte zu den Liedern sind von Friedrich Rückert (Gestillte Sehnsucht) und Emanuel Geibel (Geistliches Wiegenlied)

• 01 Gestillte Sehnsucht (Adagio espressivo) 05:55
• 02 Geistliches Wiegenlied (Andante con moto) 05:55

Josef Joachim (1831 - 1907)

Hebräische Melodien nach Eindrücken der Byron'schen Gesänge op. 9

• 03 Sostenuto 03:44
• 04 Grave 06:39
• 05 Andante cantabile 05:41

Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)

Sonate f-moll für Viola und Klavier Nr. 1  op. 120

•  06 Allegro appassionato 07:54
• 07 Andante un poco adagio 04:56
• 08 Allegretto grazioso 04:17
• 09 Vivace 05:19

total  50:22