Violinist and fortepianist have been accumulating a catalog of distinctive historical performances of . Here, they turn to the composer's most famous chamber works, the , and , bringing on board violist , cellist , and violinist in the . Despite the common key and the fact that the two works were written just a few weeks apart, they're quite different, and one strength of these performances is that the players catch the difference. The is quiet and inward, with 's "Sleeping Beauty" purring in the opening Sostenuto assai passage. The slow movement of this work gets a performance of rare lyricism here. The looks forward to a more public, orchestral kind of chamber music, and the players succeed in transforming the entire sound environment of the music, aided immeasurably by 's engineers. The music was recorded at the small hall of the German federal youth music academy in Trossingen, and this is a superb space for the music. Of interest far beyond historical performance circles, these are wonderful performances of 's major chamber works. ~ James Manheim