While Brahms excelled in nearly every form, he was particularly renowned for his contributions to chamber music. This 2 CD set displays Brahms' complete work in the string quartet form, gorgeously elevated by the Juilliard String Quartet to the level of "charismatic greatness." The Quartet joins with top-notch clarinetist Charles Neidich to round out the program with the composer's Clarinet Quintet. Performed with expressive colors, its mellow spirit is a lovely counterbalance to the intense, mutable string quartets.

Bach’s Goldberg Variations, like so many other of the master’s works, proves remarkably adaptable for a string trio. Purists may balk at such arrangements, but Bach himself was an avid arranger of other composer’s works, often shedding new light on them with his transfer to a different medium. That’s what happens in Dmitri Sitkovetsky’s arrangement of the Goldbergs for string trio, an ensemble that can – and does, in this performance – bring a greater tonal variety and expressiveness to the work than is available to the harpsichord. The trio members here are noted soloists in their own right, but play together beautifully as an ensemble. Rachlin’s sweet-toned violin adds flavor, Imai’s dusky viola projects inner lines with authority, and Maisky tones down his huge cello sound to provide a fitting foundation to the ensemble. Their light-hearted Variation 8, a Gigue, is aptly playful; Variation 21 gets a soulful performance, Variation 24 offers blistering virtuosity, while they demonstrate gentle sweetness and warmth in the Adagio, Variation 25. The music is marvelous, the playing superb, and the sonics are lifelike. This one should not be missed. — Dan Davis