Anna Gourari - Brahms: The late piano pieces op. 116-119 (2009)

Ultra-romantic and extra moody, Anna Gourari's 2009 recording of Brahms' late piano works may divide listeners. The technically adept Gourari pulls off the headiest hemiolas and the most strenuous two-fisted sonorities with panache, and her interpretive personality is never in doubt. Tempos are flexible, chords are often rolled, lines are warmly sculpted, and colors are richly blended. But what she wants to do with the music may not be what everyone wants to hear in the music. For some, Gourari may be too free in her interpretations, making Brahms sound less like a late Romantic German composer and more like an unlikely combination of French impressionism via Debussy and Russian sensuality via Rachmaninov. This may be fine with listeners looking for a new way to hear old music, and it may be more than fine with listeners who wish Brahms were more overtly emotional. But for listeners who like their Brahms powerfully expressive but still heroically restrained, Gourari's interpretations may not do the trick. Berlin Classics' digital sound is clear, but perhaps a bit too close.