BaL 4.10.14 - Brahms: Piano Quartet no. 1 in G minor Op. 25

[BBMmk2]

I have Simon Rattle's and Christoph von Dohnanyi's, for the orchestrated version and Ax, Stern, Laredo and Ma for the chamber and original version.

[Don Petter]

I think this one may have escaped Alpen's net?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brahms-Quartets-Members-Borodin-Quartet/dp/B000M344HK/ref=sr_1_109?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1412324542&sr=1-109&keywords=melodiya

[BBMmk2]

I would really love to arrange the Rondo a la Zingerese for concert band!

[Nick Armstrong]

An unrepentantly small clutch of 8 'interesting' shortlisted recordings... Within that confine, and partly perhaps because of it, a very interesting BAL for me. I hated just about every moment of the versions from Argerich et al. and the Borodins. I didn't like the sound of the recording of the winner, which I thought sounded as if they were playing in an aircraft hangar. The ones that spoke to me most were the Primrose trio with that Blüthner piano that Brahms knew, and above all the 'understated' Beaux Arts version - that's the one that really made me listen, especially in the first movement.

The odd thing about this piece for me, is that I knew and loved the Schoenberg orchestration for about 20 years before ever hearing the original version

So perhaps that's why I shy away from the 'big' performances which sound like they're straining to be orchestras, but can only palely approach Arnie's version - whereas the 'understated' readings place the work in a distinct soundworld which has me personally hearing it all afresh.

[Richard Tarleton]

There's a lovely description in Arnold Steinhardt's "Indivisible by Four", of the collaborations of the Guarneri Quartet with Rubinstein (aged 82). "We had just played Brahms with a man whose first ten years of life had overlapped Johannes Brahms' last, and who as a youngster enjoyed a special relationship with(...)Joseph Joachim. Rubinstein had carried on a lifelong love affair with the music of Brahms....and he remembered vividly into old age the impression made on him by the piano quartets...."

A great book.

[antongould]

There's a lovely description in Arnold Steinhardt's "Indivisible by Four", of the collaborations of the Guarneri Quartet with Rubinstein (aged 82). "We had just played Brahms with a man whose first ten years of life had overlapped Johannes Brahms' last, and who as a youngster enjoyed a special relationship with(...)Joseph Joachim. Rubinstein had carried on a lifelong love affair with the music of Brahms....and he remembered vividly into old age the impression made on him by the piano quartets...."

A great book.

Just listening to the Old Scoundrel with the Guarneri SQ as I read this and checked the CD sleeve and he was 80 at the time of recording!! But then he did go on performing until he was 89.

[aeolium]

Unusually for me, I found myself agreeing with the final short list of three and thought there was very little to choose between those three on the extracts I heard. On the other hand I also liked the Primrose performance and couldn't really understand IH's final dismissal of it (too calculating or some such reason). I've enjoyed the Capuçons in a number of other chamber works and in piano quartets I generally prefer a "chamber" pianist rather than one more used to solo work, and that's why I prefer performances like the Beaux Arts one to those more like Argerich & co. For some reason I had never heard the Rubinstein/Guarneri performance, and those extracts sounded good (thanks for that quote, RT).

Ed: slightly disappointed not to have heard any extract from the Hollywood Quartet/Aller recording. I'm a great admirer of this quartet and at least one historical performance would have been good to hear.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I somehow managed to hear all three of Brahms' piano quartets within the space of a few months at Uni and therefore happily snapped up the Rubinstein/ Guarneri LP set as mentioned at #8. (Cali: the Schoenberg was an awful shock when I eventually heard it - that triangle in IV). Sadly though, I've only heard one of them, the 3rd, since despite c.40 yrs' membership of chamber music concert-clubs various.

Very pleased that Mr Hewitt had this Rubinstein recording well up on the final run-in as I've followed fhg's steer to a CD reissue. Looking forward very much to hearing R's takes on the concertos, trios and quintet, all of them new to my collection.

[amateur51]

I would really love to arrange the Rondo a la Zingerese for concert band!

Not sure their lips would share your enthusiasm Bbm

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The ones that spoke to me most were the Primrose trio with that Blüthner piano that Brahms knew, and above all the 'understated' Beaux Arts version - that's the one that really made me listen, especially in the first movement.

The odd thing about this piece for me, is that I knew and loved the Schoenberg orchestration for about 20 years before ever hearing the original version

Well, that's why Arnie made the arrangement - the original is so rarely performed and when it is, the strings so often had to struggle to be heard above the Piano that nuance had to be jettisoned. I don't really like the orchestration; Craft's witty and rhythmically lively recording is the only one that I really enjoy - the only one that brings out the Keystone Kops slapstick of the arrangement.

So perhaps that's why I shy away from the 'big' performances which sound like they're straining to be orchestras, but can only palely approach Arnie's version - whereas the 'understated' readings place the work in a distinct soundworld which has me personally hearing it all afresh.

Exactly so!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Not sure their lips would share your enthusiasm Bbm

Well that's put an image into my mind I could well do without just before lunch!

[Stanfordian]

The account by: Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet and Mischa Maisky on DG is superb. I forgot to add that I greatly admire the acoubts from Angelich, Capuçon, Capuçon & Caussé on Virgin.

[Nick Armstrong]

The account by: Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet and Mischa Maisky on DG is superb.

Didn't like the cut of its jib, personally! And I'm normally a Martha fan (the other 3, not so much... )

[Barbirollians]

As a fan of that Argerich account - it is riveting -I have to admit that notwithstanding if I am going to listen to the piece however I dig out the Rubinstein/GSQ four times out of five !

[amateur51]

I'll listen later to this but meanwhile ... how did Gilels & Amadeus quartet fare?