Johannes Brahms - Piano Quartets (Marc-André Hamelin; Leopold String Trio)

Information

Composer: Johannes Brahms

CD1:

• (01) Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25
• (05) Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60

CD2:

• (01) Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 26
• (05) Three Intermezzi, Op. 117

Marc-André Hamelin, piano

Leopold String Trio

Marianne Thorsen, violin

Lawrence Power, viola

Kate Gould, cello

Date: 2006

Label: Hyperion

https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67471/2

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Review

A sweeping joie de vivre conquers this music's extreme technical demands

Of all Brahms’s chamber music, I’ve always felt his finest works were the quintets and sextets. In the smaller line-ups textures can sometimes get clogged, as if the composer had metaphorically donned one overcoat too many. His three piano quartets sometimes exhibit this tendency but in performances as fine as these it is triumphantly surmounted with a combination of brisk speeds and an extraordinary collective joie de vivre.

The G minor Quartet (No 1) opens simply, with Hamelin shaping the line beautifully but unaffectedly, the Leopold players gradually entering, their playing filled with ardour. The Zigeuner-finale is irresistibly ebullient, with a jaw-dropping ending; alongside them, Domus (Virgin, 1/89), fine though they are on their own terms, sound a touch hidebound. The other aspect that is so impressive about these readings is the sense of absolute precision, which lightens the textures and keeps edges crisp. Sample, for instance, the Scherzo of the C minor (No 3) which can, in some hands, sound positively elephantine. Not here though, Hamelin dealing with Brahms’s dense chords as easily as if they were single lines.

The epic A major Quartet (No 2), more a symphony than a quartet, is a considerable challenge to players and audience. Hamelin and the Leopold get to the heart of the matter in the soulful Poco adagio and while they in no way lack heft when it’s needed, particularly in the opening movement, there’s always a dancing quality to their playing which does much to illuminate textures. This music certainly benefits from their defiantly un-Germanic approach.

Hamelin signs off with the Op 117 Intermezzi, as well recorded as the rest of the disc. They’re elegantly played, but the main reason for buying this CD lies firmly with the quartets.

-- Harriet Smith, Gramophone

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Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer and pianist. In his lifetime, Brahms's popularity and influence were considerable. Brahms composed for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, piano, organ, and voice and chorus. Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire. An uncompromising perfectionist, Brahms destroyed some of his works and left others unpublished. Brahms is often considered both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Classical masters, with a highly romantic nature embedded within.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahms

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Marc-André Hamelin (born September 5, 1961 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical brilliance of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has made recordings of a wide variety of composers with the Hyperion label. He is well known for his attention to lesser-known composers especially of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and for performing works by pianist-composers. Hamelin has also composed several works, including a set of piano études in all of the minor keys.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc-Andr%C3%A9_Hamelin

http://www.marcandrehamelin.com/

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The Leopold String Trio is formed in 1991 in England. They are frequent visitors to the world’s major venues and festivals, touring extensively through Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. Their repertoire reflects a desire to seek out and pioneer lesser-known masterpieces as well as a strong interest in contemporary music. Their recordings for Hyperion Records have all been greeted with outstanding reviews and nominations for awards, including a Gramophone Award nomination for the J. Brahms Piano Quartets. All three members of the Trio enjoy a varied musical life away from the ensemble.
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Leopold-String-Trio.htm

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