Violinist Andrew Wan and pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin. Johannes Brahms - CD Review, 19th of July 2026

Johannes Brahms - Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3

Premiere album, released on June 5th, 2026

I would like to introduce this album of sonatas by Johannes Brahms, released by the Canadian label Analekta and featuring violinist Andrew Wan, concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and Charles Richard-Hamelin, an internationally acclaimed pianist and silver medallist at the prestigious Chopin Competition in Warsaw.

The two musicians form a cohesive and expressive instrumental duo, whose long-standing collaboration was marked in 2018 by an exceptional album devoted to the sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven. Last year, Andrew Wan and Charles Richard-Hamelin once again joined forces, sharing their passion for the Romantic chamber music repertoire in a recording of all three violin sonatas by Johannes Brahms. The intimate lyricism of the First Sonata, the radiant warmth of the Second, and the dramatic intensity of the Third are brought vividly to life by Andrew Wan and Charles Richard-Hamelin in a deeply expressive performance, architecturally balanced, finely controlled, and richly sonorous. This is a landmark recording within the discography of Johannes Brahms's violin sonatas.