Schumann, Brahms: Piano Quintets

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Schumann's Piano Quintet has always been one of his most beloved pieces of chamber music, and Brahms's was one of his first great musical successes. Neither composer ever explored the medium again, so the two works make a very logical coupling. Alone among major labels today, Naxos seems dedicated to creating a truly comprehensive catalogue of chamber music recordings, and even more importantly, to keeping them in print long enough for music lovers to explore their musical riches. In artists like the Kodaly Quartet and Jeno Jando, they have musicians of as fine a caliber as you will find anywhere, and at budget price you can go crazy. And you should. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Quintet For Two Violins, Viola, Cello And Piano In E Flat Major, Op.44: Allegro Brilliante
Quintet For Two Violins, Viola, Cello And Piano In E Flat Major, Op.44: In Modo D'Una Marcia. Un Poco Largamente
Quintet For Two Violins, Viola, Cello And Piano In E Flat Major, Op.44: Scherzo: Molto Vivace - Trio I - Trio II - L'Istesso Tempo
Quintet For Two Violins, Viola, Cello And Piano In E Flat Major, Op.44: Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
Quintet For Two Violins, Viola, Cello And Piano In F Minor, Op.34: Allegro Non Troppo
Quintet For Two Violins, Viola, Cello And Piano In F Minor, Op.34: Andante, Un Poco Adagio
Quintet For Two Violins, Viola, Cello And Piano In F Minor, Op.34: Scherzo: Allegro - Trio
Quintet For Two Violins, Viola, Cello And Piano In F Minor, Op.34: Finale: Poco Sostenuto - Allegro Non Troppo - Presto, Non Troppo

Amazon.com

Schumann's Piano Quintet has always been one of his most beloved pieces of chamber music, and Brahms's was one of his first great musical successes. Neither composer ever explored the medium again, so the two works make a very logical coupling. Alone among major labels today, Naxos seems dedicated to creating a truly comprehensive catalogue of chamber music recordings, and even more importantly, to keeping them in print long enough for music lovers to explore their musical riches. In artists like the Kodaly Quartet and Jeno Jando, they have musicians of as fine a caliber as you will find anywhere, and at budget price you can go crazy. And you should. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

High praise, coming from a Jando detractor, but with a caveat..........2006-06-12

Typically, I'm not a Jeno Jando fan. I find his Beethoven Appassionata absolutely dispassionate. I readily acknowledge his unsurpassed technique, but usually find him cold a la Brendel.

So imagine my surprise when I listened to the recordings of these two works. Kodaly keeps Jando honest, and the pianist shines, occasionally even turning the piano into a percussive instrument. (Imagine that!)

The Schumann Quintet sparkles with invention and passion. I can find scant room for improvement in the rendition given.

As to the Brahms, this is where the meat of this CD lies. The performance is full of depth, despair, and the ensemble they create is outstanding. Furthermore, the stresses given in critical passages by the strings are brilliant. It may not quite equal the brilliance of the famed Pollini recording, but I believe it pulls even with the Philips disc in terms of unspeakable passion.

All this is marred by one unforgivable omission: the first movement repeat. This mistake is glaring, throwing the balance of the movement off completely. Considering that the running time of the disc is slightly under 1:07 and modern CDs are rated to 1:20, there is no suitable excuse.

So, while it is one of the best DDD recordings of this monstrous work, be forewarned about that problem.

A wonderful CD.......2005-08-06

This CD contains the piano quintet that I think is the best in the world, the one by Brahms. I remember hearing this quintet numerous times during the Van Cliburn semi-finals back in the 1980's at TCU. The quartet was the Tokyo String Quartet. I could not find the Brahm's quintet by them, but the one I bought is very fine.

Intellectual and Artistic Exercises of the Highest Order.......2003-10-17

Two outstanding features of this recording: (1) The compositions themselves. These two composer friends excelled in chamber music, perhaps the most cerebral of all musical forms. What is more remarkable is the superior quality of their work - the ingenuity, originality and verve that both brought to the genre. They set the standard that others have tried to match ever since.

The two works are in turn dramatic, haunting, intense, melodic, extremely inventive - the hallmarks of mid-Romanticism. The Brahms Quintet in F Minor is one of the 19th Century Musical Cornerstones - what an accomplishment.

(2) The Kodaly Quartet is perfect for this pair in both temperament and persuasion. They are as much craftsmen as artists and this fact gives their Romantic playing such a firm basis. The Kodaly is one of the finest in the world and has been woefully underrated. (I have numerous recordings of theirs, all top notch.) Their interpretation is always correct - nothing eccentric or in left field. This is a MUST CD.

You Must Buy This CD (Period).......2001-10-13

It may be true that the best things in life are free, but there are some none-too-shabby accessories that cost only six bucks and add to the pleasure of it all. This CD is exhibit A for that little generalization. These two quintets are major, milestone pieces for both composers, and most labels are too miserly to put them together, preferring instead to attach a minor piece to each and leave it at that, hoping you'll buy both. Not so Naxos-a label that has become synonymous with quality and quantity.

Jando and the Kodaly Quartet have separately established their reputations as formidable interpreters of the Viennese and Romantic traditions: Jando with his Mozart, Beethoven, and Liszt; the Kodaly Quartet with their Haydn. Their coming together on this recording is a triumph, and I can't imagine (and certainly haven't heard) a more satisfying performance of either piece. Their playing is forthright, vigorous, and appropriately dramatic, which is entirely in keeping with the scope and scale of what Schumann and Brahms composed. The sound is rich and full, and the piano part is quite forward. I don't think Jando pushes his presence at all, but I've heard the two pieces in performance in the last year and I was surprised how comparatively understated the piano part was in both. In any case, I like, without reservation, the lack of restraint Jando and the Kodaly go for here.

As for the quintets themselves, they represent mid-nineteenth-century Romanticism at its best, and only Shostakovitch and Faure can even approach them where this genre as a whole is concerned. While it doesn't quite possess the monumental qualities of his opus 25 and 26 piano quartets, the Brahms quintet is still massively ambitious in its conception, and it seems to combine the drama of his first piano quartet with the lyrical introspection and spaciousness of the second. The work just teems with ideas: from the wild entrance of the piano part in the first movement; to one of the saddest, most beautiful andantes I've ever heard; to the expansive finale, which seems an entire work in and of itself.

I bought this CD because I wanted a copy of the Brahms quintet; however, I have to say the Schumann quintet has become the piece I listen to more than any other right now. Schumann strikes me as a brilliant but rather erratic composer, who excelled at short, thematically linked piano pieces but often struggled with longer forms. Yet there are occasions-the piano concerto, the opus 17 fantasy, and this quintet-where he created and sustained pure, uncontestable magic across the board. Unlike the Brahms, I'd never heard this quintet before, and when I did I couldn't believe how good it was. To me it seems one of the most perfect pieces ever written. The first movement has the most beautifully yearning, singing melody imaginable, while the eerie second movement shimmers with a kind of ghostly foreboding. Yet after these unforgettable moments, he somehow manages to augment and resolve everything in the scherzo and finale, without the diminution of drama that often plagues third and fourth movements. Since I've had this recording, my respect for Schumann has soared. This quintet is a composition you simply must have, and I can't think of any other way of adequately praising it. Together with the Brahms its an unbeatable listening experience. Ergo, you must buy this CD.

Distinguished Accounts of Both Works.......2001-09-12

This is another of the many Naxos' disks that are cheap in price only. Here we have distinguished performances from all involved, especially Jeno Jando, who has completed traversals of the Haydn and Beethoven sonata cycles for Naxos, as well as recorded the lion's share of other projects (such as Liszt's complete piano music) for the label. His work at the keyboard is beyond reproach: assured, dynamic, emotive. The strings give a good account of themselves as well, and all are captured in a fine, slightly recessed but very truthful recording. Not a stellar performance, perhaps, but one that is highly competitive, especially at Naxos' price.

Average customer rating:

Superlative young Viennese musicians in Schumann and Brahms

Piano Quintets
Schumann , Brahms , Vladar , and Artis Quartet
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000DSLL
Release Date: 1994-08-09

Customer Reviews:

Superlative young Viennese musicians in Schumann and Brahms.......2006-01-01

For a brief period Sony tried to usurp some of DG's territory by hiring a German as head of A & R. The results were mixed: Sony won the rights to Karajan's video legacy, but their CDs with Abbado and the Berlin Phil. were commercial flops. One wonderful discovery among new talent was the young Viennese pianist Stefan Vladar, who performs the Brahms and Schumann Piano Quintets with the equally talented Artis Quartet, whom I believe are also Viennese. ON the evidence of this CD the Artis could easily keep up with the Takacs and fall just shy of the Alban Berg Quartet. (The first violinist plays a gorgeous Guarneri, by te way.)

Debuting on a major label didn't get Vladar very far in America, but this is a superlative CD in every way, especially sonically, since it employs Sony's 20-bit SBM technology--Vladar's piano is fuller and the strings sweeter than on Pollini's famed recording of the Brahms with the Quartetto Italiano.

As far as interpretation goes, the approach is heartfelt Central European, respectful of tradition, full and songful. The tempos are a shade fast in every movement, which is bracing but not excessive. Without going into detail, given that this CD is out of print and will only be sought out by the really interested, I can attest that the mark of quality is present in every bar. Without a doubt this is the best pairing of two masterpieces in the piano quintet repertoire.

Average customer rating:

Amazing music, great performance and recording
A pleasant surprise

Brahms, Schumann: Piano Quintets

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000030S2
Release Date: 1993-12-16

Tracks:

Qnt in f, Op.34: I. Allegro Non Troppo
Qnt in f, Op.34: II. Andante, Un Poco Adagio
Qnt in f, Op.34: III. Scherzo (Allegro)
Qnt in f, Op.34: IV. Finale (Poco Sostenuto)
Qnt in E flat, Op.44: I. Allegro Brillante
Qnt in E flat, Op.44: II. In Modo D'una Marcia (Un Poco Largamente)
Qnt in E flat, Op.44: III. Scherzo (Molto Vivace)
Qnt in E flat, Op.44: IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo

Customer Reviews:

Amazing music, great performance and recording.......2001-05-30

Based on the above review, I purchased this cd, and it is already one of my favorites. The Brahms quintet is one of my favorite works, although the second piano concerto still ranks at the top. However, the Schumann quintet is my favorite work by this composer. The pairing is very nice, and you can definitely hear the influence of Schumann (although which Schumann...Clare or Robert may be up for debate). I can't recommend this cd with any higher enthusiasm

A pleasant surprise.......2001-01-31

I bought this cd with some trepidation as I had never heard of any of the performers, but it turned out to be a great buy. The coupling is unusually generous, squeezing the great piano quintets of both Brahms and Schumann onto one cd. The Brahms quintet is not only one of his own best works, but it is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. Frankl and the Lindsay quartet give a thrilling account here, a performance with a lot of character, but not too much. The tempos are fun and fast (albeit perhaps a little too fast in the scherzo, wherein Brahms' rythmic intracacies get lost in the shuffle at a couple of moments). The finale is not played as fast, but is wrought with tension, from the eerie soft opening chords to the INCREDIBLE climax. The Schumann quintet is also well played. As in the Brahms, the speeds are turned up with thrilling results. If you are a stranger to Brahms or to chamber music, this cd will get you hooked. A great recording at an incredible bargain.

Average customer rating:

Quintets for Piano & Strings
Schumann , Brahms , Komen , and Rubio String Quartet
Manufacturer: Globe
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006P5Q
Release Date: 2000-08-17

Average customer rating:

Assorted pearls of peaceful music, artfully strung together

Sarabande

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00002MXT5
Release Date: 2001-09-01

Tracks:

Pastorale - Zoltan Tokos
Intermezzo In E Flat Major, Op. 117, No. 1 - Idil Biret
Adagio - Capella Istropolitana
Ave Maria - Bertalan Hock
Adagio - Northern Chamber Orchestra
Larghetto - Danubius Quartet
Andante - Benjamin Frith
Langsam - Maria Kliegel
Sarabande - Wolfgang Rubsam
Sarabande (Largo) - Capella Istropolitana
Adagio - Kodaly Quartet
Last Spring, Op. 34, No. 2 - Capella Istropolitana
Adagio - Takako Nishizaki

Customer Reviews:

Assorted pearls of peaceful music, artfully strung together.......2007-07-07

"Sarabande" is defined as a slow dance in triple metre usually found in baroque intrumental suites. There are 2 actual sarabandes in this refreshing collection: "Partita No. 1 in B flat major" by Bach, and "Oboe Concerto No. 3 in G minor" by Handel, hence the cd title. However, the other non-Baroque composers and their works do not detract at all from the unity of this easily-flowing composite of peaceful music. Some may object to extracting these adagios, intermezzos, andantes and such, from their whole compositions and beading them together into a sort of musical string of pearls. But I must argue that I feel it works in this case. To be honest, I purchased this collection because I am so enamored with Greig's "Last Spring, Op. 34, No. 2." It is one of his short pieces for string orchestra, and has a lovely, elegic quality. With the music sampler available to aid in the buying decision, "Sarabande" is sure to be worth its terrific price.