At first it seems surprising that Emma Johnson has waited until now to record two pillars of the repertoire, Brahms's opus 120 clarinet sonatas, but it soon becomes apparent why: these are the fruit of Brahms's sunset years, works of profound maturity that require a deep understanding that only years of careful performance and interpretation can produce. The result is definitive; Johnson's gorgeous tone evoking the reputed delicate, warm and unaffected sound of the sonatas' dedicatee, Richard Mühlfeld. The Mendelssohn sonata, written when he was just 15, is a charming contrast, its youthful confidence beautifully captured by Johnson's winning partnership with John Lenehan, which is most strikingly apparent in their triumphant reading of the Schumann Phantasiestücke. A landmark disc.