Shostakovich: Violin Sonata

Dmitri Shostakovich: Chamber Music

Some works in this 3-CD box are not all that infrequently performed, such as the Piano Quintet Op. 57 and the second Piano Sonata Op. 61. But it also includes a few gems one rarely hears, such as the sensational Violin Sonata Op. 134, in a thrilling performance by Isabelle van Keulen and Ronald Brautigam.

Brilliant Classics 7535

Field: piano concertos

John Field: piano concertos - Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, Marco
Guidarini

Field is known as the composer who invented the piano nocture. But I find his piano concertos a lot more interesting. The 4 CDs in this box contain a wealth of delightful musical ideas and piano virtuosity.

Brilliant Classics 93783

Gernsheim: Piano Quartets

Friedrich Gernsheim: Piano Quartets Nos. 1 and 3 - Andreas Kirpal, Diogenes Quartet

I am playing this CD over and over again because I just can't get enough of it. This music is as passionate as some of Brahms' best chamber music, but it has a very distinct character. Gernsheim (1839-1916) deserves to be rescued from his present obscurity.

Brilliant Classics 93997