During his long career Backhaus was always regarded as a solid, reliable pianist, but he lacked the interpretative insight possessed by near contemporaries such as Edwin Fischer, Cortot and Schnabel. In his formative years, however, there were two events which left an indelible impression: at the age of ten he met Brahms and played for him; and at about the same time he heard performances of both the Brahms piano concertos by Eugen d'Albert, with the composer conducting. He later studied with d'Albert in Frankfurt. These personal associations provided a particular source of inspiration for Backhaus, who was always at his very best in the music of Brahms. This fact was recognized by HMV's Fred Gaisberg, who invited the pianist to record an extensive series of Brahms piano works in the mid 1930s. The bulk of these appear on Pearl's new disc.
Performances are all very well shaped, and have authoritative confidence and security. Sometimes Backhaus lacks a certain flair and imagination, but there are compensating virtues in his very apparent respect and affection for the music, and every piece has obviously been considered with great care, and no doubt over a long period. At this time the 50-year-old Backhaus had been making records for over 25 years, and seems quite relaxed in the presence of the microphone. Transfers by Colin Attwell are first class.'