Brahms: Horn Trio, Violin Sonata Fantasien / Faust

Isabelle Faust, violin; Alexander Melnikov, piano; Teunis van der Zwart, horn

JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897): Trio for violin, horn and piano op.40; Sonata for violin and piano No.1 op.78; Fantasien op.116

Brahms was especially fond of the sound of the natural horn, which he saw as the embodiment of Romantic lyricism. Although the valve horn had begun to replace it in the early 19th century, it was for the older instrument, the Waldhorn, that he wrote his Trio op.40, today still the summit of the repertoire for its unusual forces. Here three young musicians have attempted to reconstruct the trio’s original sound as precisely as possible.