Brahms’ string concertos are indissolubly linked with the musicians for whom the works were written. He wrote the Violin Concerto for Joseph Joachim and in it he combined what a contemporary critic termed ‘the great and serious’ with songful lyricism, melodic beauty, and a fiery Hungarian finale. To mend a breach with the violinist, Brahms later composed a concerto with the unusual combination of violin and cello, the latter played at the premiere by Joachim’s colleague Robert Hausmann. Neither instrument dominates in a work of reconciliation that perfectly embodies both drama and reflection. Schwabe’s debut Naxos recording features Brahms’ cello sonatas and song transcriptions released in 2015, with pianist Nicholas Rimmer (8573489). Tianwa Yang’s most recent recording project involved the works for violin and orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm.