PAUL HINDEMITH : Complete Sonatas Vol. 2 (Ensemble Villa Musica) (1997) APE (image+.cue), lossless

The MDG label prides itself on maintaining the "natural acoustics" of the concert halls in which recordings are made, and shy away from modifying the sound with added reverberation and the like. Listening to this disc makes you wish that more labels would follow suit, especially for small chamber works like these. The resulting sound is very much like attending a live performance -- balance and clarity are left to the performers rather than post hoc sound engineers.
The members of the Ensemble Villa Musica heard in this recording represent the rest of the ensemble well. Each of the solo instrumentalists gives energetic and lustrous performances of the sonatas. Superb technique and intonation meet pleasantly splendid musicianship and thoughtful interpretations. The common thread among all of these sonatas is pianist Kalle Randalu. His playing is always elegant, and he delivers each of the fiendishly difficult accompaniment parts with remarkable clarity and individual sensitivity to each of the different instruments with whom he is playing. Collectors of Hindemith's vast output for piano and solo instrument are well-advised to check out this series. by Mike D. Brownell