Brahms and the Babe

Brahms' chamber sonatas, 3 for violin and piano, 2 to cello and piano, and 2 for clarinet and piano, are great works. They tend to be lyrical, slightly introspective, and while quite difficult, lack any sort of showing brilliance.

The 3 sonatas for violin and piano make about 80 minutes of music, and are programmed not infrequently by violinists as a complete recital - I've heard Christian Tetzlaff perform them, and on Monday, I heard Anne-Sophie Mutter perform them at Carnegie Hall (ahem, Stern Auditorium is just TOO BIG for these kinds of things. I know she can sell the place out, but it is ridiculous to hear intimate chamber works with 2600 of your closest friends). Mutter is of course a justly famous violinist, but I wondered how she would fare with these pieces. She is a passionate performer, and I wasn't sure if these pieces were well suited to her temperament.

Things didn't begin auspiciously. She began with the second sonata, and the notes weren't connecting. She also seemed to be adjusting to the size of the space with people in it - her pianos came across as thin rather than quiet. Her accompanist, Lambert Orkis, played well, but there didn't seem to be a connection. The music was being played well enough, but the true beauty of the piece, and the skills of the performers weren't coming across.

Thankfully, things changed with the first sonata, full of profoundly beautiful moments. The third sonata was equally well done, Mutter's tone and dynamic contrast fully meshing with the needs of the space.

And then came the encores. Four of them (the encores and applause added about 30 minutes to the show). And here Mutter's extroverted side came out in flashy Hungarian Dances - great fun, and after the beautiful restraint of the sonatas, a great change of pace for the performer and the audience. Her final encore I predicted before a note was played - "Wiegenlied" Op. 49, No. 4, more famously known as the "Brahms Lullaby." Nice touch.

One more thing: Mutter looked AMAZING in her strapless skintight dress. The woman appears ageless, and she has an incredible, captivating stage presence. Meaning, she's hot.