BRAHMS.
SCHUMANN. MAHLER
Piano
Quartets
Daniel
Hope, Violin et al
Deutsche
Grammophon 479 4609 / ****1/2
The piano quartet, formed by piano,
violin, viola and cello, runs the risk of becoming almost obsolete. That is
because many composers opt for the smaller and more economical forces of a
piano trio, or plump for the fuller sounds of a piano quintet. This well-filled
disc from live concerts of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Centre gathers
three of the best piano quartets in the medium’s relatively small repertoire.
Gustav Mahler's Piano Quartet in A
minor (1876) is a student work in a compact single movement. A far cry from his
monumental symphonies, it is a product of late Romanticism with full-blown
passion and pathos on display. Robert Schumann's Piano Quartet in E flat
major (1842) is shorter and less well-known than his Piano Quintet. There is a Beethovenian touch with its masterly
development of simple themes, and is graced by an exquisitely beautiful slow
movement.
Johannes Brahms's Piano Quartet No.1
in G minor (1861) is an established classic, symphonic in scope and closes with
a rowdy Hungarian-styled Rondo in the best gypsy tradition. British
violinist Daniel Hope and his partners, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist David
Finckel and pianist Wu Han, are vividly recorded, making this album one to
remember and treasure.
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