Search - Brahms, Frankl, Lindsay String Quartet :: Piano Quintet, Opus 34

A pleasant surprise

Jonathan Toren | New York, NY United States | 01/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Amazing music, great performance and recording

Bob K | Louisville, CO USA | 05/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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"