Viktoria Mullova - Brahms - Violin Sonatas & Concerto (2006)

At the heart of this Viktoria Mullova two-fer is the first disc of Brahms's three sonatas for violin and piano, here played with Piotr Anderszewski. It is an inspired partnership - both artists show an understanding of and passion for Brahm's unique style of romanticism. While Suk and Katchen remain my favorites, Mullova and Anderzewski have enough interesting things to say in this music that I am happy to have both.
The Op. 8 piano trio is another essential Brahms work and is given here a big romantic reading by Previn, Mullova and Schiff in the same spirit as the classic recording by Katchen, Suk and Starker. Here, as with the violin sonatas, Brahms' contrasts in mood are fully and convincingly explored, and the playing is fantastic.
The live concerto recording with Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic, while played wonderfully, faces too much competition to really stand out. The playing tends towards the beautiful and often shortchanges the tension by playing down the dramatic contrasts in the music, though I suppose some people might like the concerto played this way. My own favorite in this work another live recording by Anne-Sophie Mutter and Kurt Masur conducting the New York Philharmonic, while Arthur Grumiaux made a fine recording with Eduard van Beinum and the RCO in the late 50s.
If you are looking for a good digital recording of the violin sonatas and/or the Op. 8 piano trio, this set is quite attractive and recommendable. While neither recording displaces my favorites, they come close enough that it hardly matters. For the concerto I suspect it is a matter of taste; although the playing is great, the approach is too square and leisurely to count among my favorites.