Brahms: The Piano Quartets, Op.25 & Op.26, Op.60

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
The piano quartet--one of music's many curious misnomers--relies on a particularly subtle interplay between its contrasting textures of strings and keyboard. The synergy of the four musicians on this CD (each a star on his respective instrument), as in their account of the Mozart piano quartets, creates a shared dynamic that brings the expressive depths that Brahms positively poured into this idiom. They've managed to develop a style of breathing together with a kind of lucidly organic inevitability.

The first quartet (in G minor) exhales Brahms's empathetic engagement with the chamber music of Schubert (the piece marked his Viennese debut) but would have a profound impact on Arnold Schoenberg, who wrote a notable essay on it extolling "Brahms the progressive" and later scored it for full orchestra. There's a similarly Schubertian leisureliness to the Quartet in A, but in these musicians' hands, its length unfolds as a horn of plenty, fertile in its musical invention, with an especially magical lushness in the romantic "Nachtstück" slow movement. But the real emotional centerpiece here is the C Minor Quartet (also known as the Werther Quartet from its purported inspiration in Goethe's novel). Ax, Stern, Laredo, and Ma bring a concentrated power and broiling originality to their account, instilling its moments of anguish and harmonic dislocation with searingly tragic energy. The Andante in particular emerges as a sustained rhapsody as the musicians play off each other's phrasing to build a statement of majestic eloquence. --Thomas May

Tracks:

Piano Quartet In G Minor, Op. 25: 1. Allegro - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet In G Minor, Op. 25: 2. Intermezzo. Allegro ma non troppo - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet In G Minor, Op. 25: 3. Andante con moto - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet In G Minor, Op. 25: 4. Rondo alla Zingarese. Presto - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60: 1. Allegro ma non troppo - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60: 2. Scherzo. Allegro - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60: 3. Andante - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60: Finale. Allegro - J. Brahms

Tracks:

Piano Quartet in A, Op. 26: 1. Allegro non troppo - Brahms
Piano Quartet in A, Op. 26: 2. Poco adagio - Brahms
Piano Quartet in A, Op. 26: 3. Scherzo. Poco allegro - Brahms
Piano Quartet in A, Op. 26: 4. Finale. Allegro - Brahms
Piano Trio in A, Op. posth.: 1. Moderato - Brahms
Piano Trio in A, Op. posth.: 2. Vivace - Brahms
Piano Trio in A, Op. posth.: 3. Lento - Brahms
Piano Trio in A, Op. posth.: 4. Presto - Brahms

Customer Reviews:

great musicians.......2005-10-09

These are dense pieces and like a lot of Brahms could become overly heavy and plodding in the wrong hands. On this CD the Beaux Arts really bring out the romantic lyrical quality of this music unfailingly. The recording itself is just a hair distant but the detail is good. What fantastic piano one finds on these CDs! Strongly recommended.

An older recording, but still amazing.......2002-06-23

This collection of Brahms' piano quartets are a great listen all around. Every quartet has an enormous power and beauty to it.

I like to say about Brahms' music that it is airtight. There is never a wasted note. Every bit of melody, every nuance and texture in the harmony are masterfully crafted and serve a purpose. There is never a moment when you look at your watch and wonder when the composer is going to get around to wrapping this or that section up and get to the exciting stuff.

The Beaux Arts Trio along with Walter Trampler do a commendable job of bringing every moment of beauty and excitement out. They balance the sweetness of the slow movements and melodies well with the aggression and rhythmic complexities of the quicker movements. My current favorite quartet is the A Major. There is a singable melody or rhythmic puzzle in every movement. I listened to the final movement four times today (excessive I know, but it's just so much fun to try to figure out how Brahms manipulates those melodies within the time signatures)!

great recording.......2002-05-17

This is chamber music at its best played by the masters, the Beaux Arts Trio. All the pieces are played in a crisp, clean manner with the proper emotion and phrasing.

Very good!.......2001-04-01

I am an avid Brahms fan and just recently picked up this copy of the quartets. I love them! The rondo of the first quartet is fascinating and the pain in the C minor trio is unmistakable. As traditional as Brahms is, he is a definate romantic. I agree [...] about the last trio that is attributed to him. It isn't as good by far. The sound is very clear and the pianist on the recordings impressed me. If you don't own the quartets, go ahead and buy this set. You won't be dissapointed!

stirring!.......2000-01-10

I have only recently begun to love Brahms and these recordings make me question why it's taken so long! The music is incredibly rich and colorful, especially the C minor, Werther's Ballad, which you can just feel Brahms pain at losing his friend Robert Schumann! The Beaux Arts Trio is a sure winner! You will enjoy this!

Average customer rating:

The "Clinker" of the bunch

Brahms: The Masterworks (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00062FLIS
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Customer Reviews:

The "Clinker" of the bunch.......2006-12-19

Having collected the entire "The Masterworks" series (including the Bach and Mozart Complete Works) this set is the 'clinker' of the bunch. First off... 6 CD's of Lieder 'historic' (pre-historic) recordings. No Overtures, No Orchestral Seranades, No Haydn Variations?? The performances of the Symphonies and the Concertos are shakey and not very well recorded. Brilliant Classics, who has done such a wonderful job with the Hadyn Complete Symphonies (licensed from Nimbus), the Mozart and Bach Complete sets, has stumbled a bit with this release.

Brahms: Piano Trios Nos. 1, 2 & 3; Piano Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 3

Average customer rating:

This is TRUE chamber music
Gorgeous music, great performance
Brilliant Recording, Excellent Deal

Brahms: Piano Trios Nos. 1, 2 & 3; Piano Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 3

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets
Beethoven: The Piano Trios
Schumann: Complete Piano Trios

ASIN: B000002A8T
Release Date: 1995-12-05

Tracks:

Trio For Violin, Violincello, And Piano No. 1 In B Major, Op. 8: I. Allegro Con Brio - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello, And Piano No. 1 In B Major, Op. 8: II. Scherzo. Allegro Molto - Trio. Meno Allegro - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello, And Piano No. 1 In B Major, Op. 8: III. Adagio - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello, And Piano No. 1 In B Major, Op. 8: IV. Finale. Allegro - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello, And Piano No. 2 In C Major, Op. 87: I. Allegro - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello, And Piano No. 2 In C Major, Op. 87: II. Adante Con Moto - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello, And Piano No. 2 In C Major, Op. 87: III. Scherzo. Presto - Poco Meno Presto - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello, And Piano No. 2 In C Major, Op. 87: IV. Finale. Allegro Giocoso - J. Brahms

Tracks:

Trio For Violin, Violincello And Piano No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 101: I. Allegro Energico - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello And Piano No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 101: II. Presto Non Assai - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello And Piano No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 101: III. Andante Grazioso - J. Brahms
Trio For Violin, Violincello And Piano No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 101: IV. Allegro Molto - J. Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 2 In A Major, Op. 26: I. Allegro Non Troppo - J. Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 2 In A Major, Op. 26: II. Poco Adagio - J. Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 2 In A Major, Op. 26: III. Scherzo. Poco Allegro - Trio - J. Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 2 In A Major, Op. 26: IV. Finale. Allegro - J. Brahms

Tracks:

Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 25: I. Allegro - Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 25: II. Intermezzo. Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Trio. Animato - Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 25: III. Andante Con Moto - Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 25: IV. Rondo All Zingarese. Presto - Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 60: I. Allegro Non Troppo - Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 60: II. Scherzo. Allegro - Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 60: III. Andante - Brahms
Quartet For Violin, Viola, Violincello And Piano No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 60: IV. Finale. Allegro Comodo - Brahms

Customer Reviews:

This is TRUE chamber music.......2005-10-18

These CD's contain some of the best chamber music ever recorded.
Each member of the ensemble seems to fit in without ever dominating.

If you want to hear how chamber music should be played - get these discs!

Gorgeous music, great performance.......2003-05-13

This is one of my favorite CD's. Excellent musicianship and sound quality are a bonus. The real draw to this cd, however, is the passionate interpretation the music. They really capture the emotion behind Brahms' music. I would recommend this to anyone who likes chamber music.

Brilliant Recording, Excellent Deal.......2000-04-19

This album is by far the most crisply recorded, lusciously played, and reasonably priced of all recordings of Brahms' chamber music. There is a 2-CD version with just the quartets for marginally less, but this is the one to get. There's plenty written about the recent Ma, Stern, Laredo, Ax effort (hard not to, considering that cast), which won Gramophone Magazine's best chamber album of the year. The trios are of equally fine quality (Stern is just as luminous in this much earlier performance), in rich, dark analogue sound, and make a superb offer in and of themselves. When coupled with the quartets for roughly the same price. . .? You really can't go wrong. A must buy.

Brahms: Piano Quartets Op. 25 & Op. 60, Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 65

Average customer rating:

A sage performance
Brahms and Rubinstein At Their Best...

Brahms: Piano Quartets Op. 25 & Op. 60, Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 65

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 74
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Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 41

ASIN: B00005427M
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Tracks:

Pno Qt No.1 in g, Op.25: Allegro
Pno Qt No.1 in g, Op.25: Intermezzo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Trio: Animato
Pno Qt No.1 in g, Op.25: Andante Con Moto - Animato
Pno Qt No.1 in g, Op.25: Rondo Alla Zingarese: Presto - Meno Presto - Molto Presto
Pno Qt No.3 in c, Op.60: Allegro Ma NonTroppo
Pno Qt No.3 in c, Op.60: Scherzo: Allegro
Pno Qt No.3 in c, Op.60: Andante
Pno Qt No.3 in c, Op.60: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

A sage performance.......2004-09-17

There are few pianists as universally admired and as venerable as Artur Rubinstein, and with good reason. Rubinstein wins over audiences with his charm and his assiduous determination to produce interpretations as close as possible to the heart of the music he happens to be playing at any given time. True, Rubinstein doesn't always provide the flashiest or the most pyrotechnically brilliant performances, but his integrity and his strength of purpose, permeating everything he touches, is nearly always beyond even the slightest reprehension.
This recording is no different. The performances of the piano quartets presented here demonstrate every such trait, with added touches of brilliance most discernable in the final movement of the Op. 25....and to play so at such an age! With the redoubtable Guarneris as his partners, Rubinstein produces deeply satisfying accounts of this wonderful repertoire. Indeed the works are a good match for Rubinstein, for Brahms was another man who valued character and quality of craft over ephemera. This disc is magnificent. In every way here is a match made in heaven.

Brahms and Rubinstein At Their Best..........2002-08-18

This is one of the wonderful fruits of the Rubinstein-Guarneri collaboration. It is bewildering that Rubinstein had to arrive nearly to the age of eighty before he could find "his" string quartet, after seventy-five or so years of extensive music making. Rubinstein is, as always, revealed as a suberp Brahms interpreter, and the Guarneris just as exciting. The performers show a deep grasp of Brahms's emotionality, harmonic complexity, and, most of all, finely articulated structure. The tempos are just right, unlike the second piano quartet (appearing on a seperate volume), where the first movement is rather slow (go for the Beaux Arts Trio). Together with the devine piano quintet OP. 34 (also on a seperate volume), these three performances are flawless executions of chamber masterworks. A must for every fan of romantic chamber music!

Average customer rating:

Brahms Well Served by Domus
Voluptuous music and glorious ensemble

Brahms: Piano Quartets

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Schumann, Brahms: Piano Quintets

ASIN: B000026CIE
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Tracks:

Pno Qt No.1 in g, Op.25: I. Allegro
Pno Qt No.1 in g, Op.25: II. Intermezzo. Allegro (Ma Non Troppo)
Pno Qt No.1 in g, Op.25: III. Andante Con Moto
Pno Qt No.1 in g, Op.25: IV. Rondo Alla Zingarese. Presto
Pno Qt No.3 in c, Op.60: I. Allegro Non Troppo
Pno Qt No.3 in c, Op.60: II. Scherzo. Allegro
Pno Qt No.3 in c, Op.60: III. Andante
Pno Qt No.3 in c, Op.60: IV. Finale. Allegro Comodo

Tracks:

Pno Qt No.2 in A, Op.26: I. Allegro Non Tropo
Pno Qt No.2 in A, Op.26: II. Poco Adagio
Pno Qt No.2 in A, Op.26: III. Scherzo: Poco Allegro
Pno Qt No.2 in A, Op.26: IV. Finale: Allegro
Pno Qt Movt

Customer Reviews:

Brahms Well Served by Domus.......2004-04-27

Brahms seems to achieve two very different ends in his music that exploits the minor keys. In compositions such as the First Symphony or the Piano Quintet, the minor key is used for dramatic effect. This is especially clear in the First Symphony, which follows the tried-and-true model of Beethoven's Fifth, with its progress from darkness to light and victory. With Brahms, the program is not very clear (not even so much as Beethoven's gloss for the Fifth Symphony's motto figure: "Thus fate knocks at the door"), but the drama is palpable nonetheless. On the other hand, in movements such as the passacaglia from the last movement of the Fourth Symphony, the minor key brings a sense of gravity that is truly tragic. Certainly this can be said of Brahms's C minor Piano Quartet. In fact, if Brahms did not provide a definite program for the high-strung first movement, at least he offered a literary parallel, telling early performers of the work that he had in mind a portrait of Young Werther, the hero of Goethe's novel, who blows his brains out for unrequited love. Behind the stormy passions of this tragic first movement is the history of Brahms's failed love affair with Clara Schumann.

It's a devastating musical portrait, magnificently sustained. The movement builds slowly to a great, quasi-symphonic climax at the start of the development section. Domus prepares this climax perfectly, unleashing it with all the fury and anguish it should have. In fact, they are in touch with all the emotions of this work, including the cooler, more Olympian drama of the scherzo, one of Brahms's very best, where the play of minor and major keys is like that of some lithe forest creatures chasing through sunlight and shadow. Maybe I wax too romantic here, but this is a beautiful movement and a beautiful performance of it. So, too, with the achingly nostalgic slow movement and the subdued passion of the finale. Gorgeous music beautifully played. Despite the huge popularity of the First Piano Quartet, in a performance like this it's clear the Third Quartet is the great work among Brahms's Quartets. In fact, I find it more commanding overall than the celebrated Piano Quintet, whose drama seems canned by comparison. The Quintet has always struck me (...)unsubtle, especially compared to this wonderful Third Quartet.

But the First Quartet is wonderfully entertaining, especially that gypsy finale, and Domus give it their all, too, in a performance and recording that are generally excellent, except that the piano seems occasionally to get swallowed in the reverberant acoustic, which tends only to beautify the playing of the other instruments. This is especially true in the last movement of Quartet No. 1, though it's something of a problem throughout the quartet. Still, the sound that Domus produces is both ample and homogeneous, unlike that of some more stellar quartets, who can't seem to help sounding like the individual stars the members are. This homogeneity also helps create a suave rendition of the Second Quartet, the Cinderella of the Brahms piano quartet canon, here given a lovely reading that makes a compelling case for this less assertive work, whose sixteen-minute first movement and ten-and-a-half-minute scherzo recall Schubert in temperament, melodic fecundity--and indifference to structural conciseness.

The early Mahler Quartet Movement is an interesting rarity and a nice makeweight for the second CD (the two disks together offer a very ample 137 minutes' worth of music). In fact, it's rather reminiscent of the first movement of Brahms's C Minor Quartet since Mahler, like Brahms, waits for the development section to unleash the decibels; it's all pretty restrained till then. But you won't return to this little piece often. No, you'll stick with the Brahms Quartets and, I think, enjoy them all thanks to Domus' superlative music-making. I also believe you'll agree with me that far and away the greatest of the Quartets is No. 3. Domus helps make that abundantly clear.

Voluptuous music and glorious ensemble.......2003-03-10

I am an avid fan of Brahms' chamber music. I own many recordings of his violin sonatas, viola sonatas, cello sonatas, piano trios, piano quintet, clarinet quintet and single recordings of the string sextets and string quartets. I purchased this recording in order to have a complete account of the piano quartets so that I could begin to fill in the gaps in my collection. I did not expect that I would end up regarding this recording as among my most favorite Brahms chamber music discs.

Brahms' chamber music is so voluptuous in its melody, harmony and couterpoint, and so richly evocative of his emotional world. His music evokes the widest spectrum of emotions ranging all the way from despair, poignancy and resignation to strength, resolve and festive joy. This recording does complete justice to Brahms' world.

What stands out in this recording is Domus' absolutely glorious ensemble. These players play as one. Where there are individual contributions, it is clear that these are talented individual instrumentalists. The string players' intonation is perfect and their solos are self-assured and sensitive, but their glory is how well they work together. The performers, the venue and the recorded sound all work together to create such incredible richness and immediacy. It's unfortunate that the sample tracks on this web page do not include the third movement of the 3rd quartet. I continue to listen to that single track over and over again. Once you hear Brahms in this kind of medium, it is difficult to go back to listen to anything with fewer instruments (for example his solo piano works).

I purchased another recording of the piano quartets for comparison (Ax, Stern, Laredo and Ma) and I expected to enjoy this recording more than the Domus recording as I am an avid admirer of each of these musicians. I came away preferring the Domus recording.

This is a 2-disc set. The first disc contains the 1st and 3rd piano quartets, while the 2nd disc contains the 2nd piano quartet and a movement of an unfinished quartet by Mahler. The Mahler piece is interesting for its historical value, but the real worthwhile pieces are the Brahms works. It is possible to get just the first disc of this set, but you pay full price for it. This set is available at a budget price and includes all the piano quartets. I recommend this 2-disc set in the strongest terms. Knowing what I now know about it, I would have paid full price for it.

Brahms: The Piano Quartets, Opp. 25, 26 & 60
Average customer rating:

Magnificent

Fire Away!

Brahms

Famous four tackle Brahms

quite good, overall

Brahms: The Piano Quartets, Opp. 25, 26 & 60

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002708
Release Date: 1991-01-14

Tracks:

Piano Quartet, Op. 25 (G Minor): I - Allegro - Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 25 (G Minor): II - Intermezzo: Allegro, ma non troppo; Trio: Animato - Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 25 (G Minor): III - Andante con moto - Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 25 (G Minor): IV - Rondo alla Zingarese: Presto - Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 60 (C Minor): I - Allegro non troppo - Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 60 (C Minor): II - Scherzo: Allegro - Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 60 (C Minor): III - Andante - Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 60 (C Minor): IV - Finale: Allegro comodo - Brahms

Tracks:

Piano Quartet, Op. 26 (A Major): I - Allegro non troppo - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 26 (A Major): II - Poco adagio - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 26 (A Major): III - Scherzo; Trio: Poco allegro - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet, Op. 26 (A Major): IV - Finale: Allegro - J. Brahms

Amazon.com essential recording

The piano quartet--one of music's many curious misnomers--relies on a particularly subtle interplay between its contrasting textures of strings and keyboard. The synergy of the four musicians on this CD (each a star on his respective instrument), as in their account of the Mozart piano quartets, creates a shared dynamic that brings the expressive depths that Brahms positively poured into this idiom. They've managed to develop a style of breathing together with a kind of lucidly organic inevitability.

The first quartet (in G minor) exhales Brahms's empathetic engagement with the chamber music of Schubert (the piece marked his Viennese debut) but would have a profound impact on Arnold Schoenberg, who wrote a notable essay on it extolling "Brahms the progressive" and later scored it for full orchestra. There's a similarly Schubertian leisureliness to the Quartet in A, but in these musicians' hands, its length unfolds as a horn of plenty, fertile in its musical invention, with an especially magical lushness in the romantic "Nachtstück" slow movement. But the real emotional centerpiece here is the C Minor Quartet (also known as the Werther Quartet from its purported inspiration in Goethe's novel). Ax, Stern, Laredo, and Ma bring a concentrated power and broiling originality to their account, instilling its moments of anguish and harmonic dislocation with searingly tragic energy. The Andante in particular emerges as a sustained rhapsody as the musicians play off each other's phrasing to build a statement of majestic eloquence. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent.......2006-12-27

To date, no recording has captured the wistfulness, pathos, and majesty of these works so well. This is as close to a definitive peformance as there can be.

Fire Away!.......2002-12-18

The young Johannes Brahms (pre-beard) was taken into the home of composer Robert Schumann and his wife, Clara (a virtuosa pianist in her own right), when he was still learning his craft. It seems that they were his parents in the area of music composition. But imagine how it tortured Brahms to be in love with Clara as Robert slowly deteriorated mentally. That's how the story goes anyway. Brahms (post-beard) wrote that the coversheet for the G minor quartet should have a picture of a man with a gun to his head. That may give you an idea about the maddening (and passionate) pace that this glorious piece occasionally takes.

It is truly beautiful...maybe my favorite chamber piece ever, but it's beautiful in a painful, aching way (if that makes sense). Ma's cello is steady and controlled at times, but rages in the furious, rich baritone range at others. Laredo and Ax seem to be somewhat sterile perfectionists on other recordings, but I think that they feel pretty comfortable with this group and loosen up a bit. Stern is masterful...forget what people say about him being too old on this recording.

Overall, all three quartets are genuine treasures. It often doesn't work out when heavyweight talents try to collaborate (i.e. any comedy starring Robin Williams AND Billy Crystal), but it definitely does on this recording. I wish I could remember to whom I "lent" mine.

Brahms.......2002-10-17

I think that Brahms had a stroke of genius when he wrote these quartets. They become even more magnificent when left to the artistry of these four musicians! This is one of my most treasured cds, and I would suggest it to anyone; musician, classical music fan, or just music fan. My favorite of the quartets is the g minor-it has such energy and is full of sound and substance. I wish that when I have the opportunity to play this (I play the viola) that it comes near to the quality of this recording. I also bought another cd of the same grouping of musicians and love it as well-these four have a magic together! I highly suggest this recording! It serves well to listen to for enjoyment, and also as a source for ideas of musicality.

Famous four tackle Brahms.......2002-06-28

These three pieces are some of the greatest in the literature, and for the most part this is a good recording. Unlike many chamber music collaborations between soloists, these four don't let the music disintegrate into a shouting match or an ego contest (thank goodness). However, as usual, Stern's sound is rather thin and doesn't quite hold up to the power and depth that Brahms demands; I would also prefer a "real" violist rather than a "switch-hitter", but Laredo is mostly admirable and perhaps he simply adjusted to better balance Stern's more slender tone. And nothing beats the slow movement of the c minor quartet - this and the third movement of Beethoven Op. 132 would be my choices for that old "If you could only take ____ to a desert island..." question. Overall a commendable collection; the good parts far outweigh the weak.

quite good, overall.......2002-05-24

Along with the piano quintet, B major trio and clarinet trio, these three works represent the best example of Brahms' chamber music writing for piano and strings. All three of these pieces are truly incredible, and this is a recording that for the most part does justice to them.
Often, classical music discs made up of some of the best performers in the world result in either commercial nonsense, such as the 3 Tenors, or polar extremes in musical ideas, such as Gould and Rose's Beethoven collaboration. This works better, as these are among the more mild performers on their respective instruments.
Ax has always been a fairly tame performer compared to some of the other great pianists like Martha Argerich. He plays the notes, and he generally plays them quite well, but he often fails to truly make the magical things happen.
Stern was no longer at the height of his powers at the time of this recording, but these quartets are technically fairly easy on the violin, and Stern's mind was certainly still working. He generally sounds quite good.
Laredo makes an excellent violist, subtly adjusting from his violin sound and normal position to blend in as a middle voice.
Ma was much younger when this was recorded, and sounds like it. He was a much simpler player, and wasn't nearly as adept at the incredible color changes and ideas he's learned to express over the last several years.
The g minor piano quartet is probably the weakest piece of the three, though it's still fine. This group takes all the tempi slightly faster, and the famous finale races along at an incredible pace. It's classic Hungarian Brahms, masterfully written and masterfully played.
The A major is a far more majestic piece, and also gets an excellent performance overall. Ax makes the minor section of the slow movement absolutely terrifying in one of his best performances, and the light scherzo and finale are kept sweet and simple.
The c minor is incredibly dark and somber, and is given the best performance by the quartet. There are times when the music could have flowed more - in Yo-Yo's solo in the third movement, there are numerous breaks in the line that don't follow the harmonic rhythm, but he plays so beautifully it hardly matters.
Overall, this is an excellent CD, not perfect, not unusual or distinct, but certainly a good recording of this great music, and worth owning.

Average customer rating:

Constantly on the turntable
Thrilling Brahms
this is beautiful music at an amazing bargain

Brahms: Piano Quartets

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Music of a Bygone Era

ASIN: B000001K31
Release Date: 1992-11-04

Tracks:

Piano Quartet No. 1 In G Major, Op. 25: I. Allegro - Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 1 In G Major, Op. 25: II. Intermezzo: Allegro ma non troppo; Trio: Animato - Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 1 In G Major, Op. 25: III. Andante con moto; Animato - Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 1 In G Major, Op. 25: IV. Rondo alla Zingarese: Presto, Meno presto, Molto presto - Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 2 In A Major, Op. 26 (Beginning): I. Allegro non troppo - Johannes Brahms
The 3 Piano Quartets: II. Poco adagio - Johannes Brahms

Tracks:

Piano Quartet In A Major, Op. 26 (Conclusion): III. Scherzo: Poco allegro; Trio - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet In A Major, Op. 26 (Conclusion): IV. Finale: Allegro - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 3 In A Major, Op. 60: I. Allegro non troppo - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 3 In A Major, Op. 60: II. Scherzo: Allegro - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 3 In A Major, Op. 60: III. Andante - J. Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 3 In A Major, Op. 60: IV. Finale: Allegro comodo - J. Brahms

Customer Reviews:

Constantly on the turntable.......2001-09-25

I love this CD! The opus 60 is amazing. The cello solo that starts the Andante is so pure and unaffected, with beautiful intonation unmasked by excessive vibrato -- SO much different than the very emotive Yo-Yo Ma recording -- this is the recording I prefer.

Thrilling Brahms.......2000-08-08

Let's get out of the way what's wrong with the recording: the engineers have placed their microphones way too close to the musicians. And there's a break between discs, and the labeling (on my copy) is off.

Have you read that? Good, that's all that's wrong with these disks. And none of these faults are serious enough to discourage would-be purchasers.

That's becuase this is music-making of the highest order by musicians well-in-tune with each other. Glazer was a wonderful pianist, and it shows here. The violinist's tone is perhaps a shade wiry, but somehow it all plays into this group's performance.

A bargain, even if it were at full price!

this is beautiful music at an amazing bargain.......1999-04-03

This is a wonderful set of beautiful brahms. I bought this on the recommendation of an old fellow at a classical music store in Wilmington. It goes to show you don't need a brand/star name for excellent music. What a bargain! This is one of the last CD sets I'd give up.

Johannes Brahms Piano Quartets No 01 & No 02

Average customer rating:

Johannes Brahms Piano Quartets No 01 & No 02

Manufacturer: Biddulph Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001ZEO
Release Date: 1994-08-17

Amazon.com

Both of these pioneering, debut recordings were made in 1932, when Brahms had been dead for only 35 years. The First Quartet is a mixed blessing. The younger Artur Rubinstein plays with tremendous energy and flair, pushing the music along very strongly. But the Belgian string quartet, which was oddly popular at the time, struggles to keep up with him and commits some rather squally moments. The Second Quartet, though, is an unqualified success, a collaboration of great musicians without a weak spot anywhere. The recordings have come up in Ward Marston's transfers with vivid sound, although the background is not always quiet. --Leslie Gerber

Average customer rating:

Brahms, Bridge, Turina: Piano Quartets
Amabile Piano Quartet , Johannes Brahms , Frank Bridge , and Joaquin Turina
Manufacturer: Summit(Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000038L1
Release Date: 2001-10-30

Tracks: