★★★★★
This is one of the finest Schumann discs in recent memory: Jon Nakamatsu offers a scintillating, elegant take on these works with a wide range of dynamics, a deft sense for the often quirky subtleties in Schumann and with an all-encompassing technique. He uses much rubato, especially in Carnaval, but always with taste and a good sense for the emotional flow of the music. The first movement of the 2nd Sonata brims with vitality and that epic sense of triumph so essential in Schumann...
- www.classical.net
2014-04-11
★★★★★
Brahms thought he was out of steam as a composer until he met clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld in 1891. Out came a late burst of chamber music, including a clarinet trio and clarinet quintet and the two Op. 120 sonatas for clarinet and piano on this recording. The pieces make an appealing pair. The first sonata, in F minor, has a moody, windswept character and moves at times in haunting, unforeseen directions...
- www.sfgate.com
2009-11-13