What is there to be said about a disc when the best work on it is by Joseph Rheinberger? One could say that four-hand piano duo
Dana Muller and
Gary Steigerwalt are terrific players who perform all three works on the program with panache and conviction. One could say that Rheinberger's Sonata in C minor from 1881 is a masterful work of deep feelings and consummate musicianship. One could say that Frederick Shepherd Converse's Valzer Poetici from 1896 is a competent work of deep feeling, if little control, and that Anton Rubinstein's Sonata in D major from 1871 is a blustering, bullying work of little content and less form. One could say that Centaur's recording of
Muller and
Steigerwalt is not as harsh, hard, dry, and congested as many of their recordings have been. One could say that, if you love four-hand piano repertoire and you already have all of Schubert, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Mozart and you're looking for something central European circa the late nineteenth century, you might try this disc.