Customer Reviews

Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets & Sextets

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There isn't much to say about this set, but I'll say what there is to say: These players play the Brahms chamber music here with such emotion, musical understanding, and overall perfection that this set should be made into a must for all Brahms chamber music lovers. The Amadeus quartet, along with all of the other performers, including Eschenbach on the piano and Leister on the clarinet, really know what they're doing and play it so beautifully that the listener will want to hear the pieces again and again until the CD player is practically worn out. These Brahms works are some of the most sublime works of the later 19th century. For such quality music and great sound, especially for having been recorded in the 1960's, the price is also great. I recommend this set very highly, and hope you decide to get and enjoy it as much as I do.

All the passion, majesty, pathos, and soul of his symphonies is in these 10 works of chamber music by Brahms:

3 string quartets;
2 string quintets;
2 string sextets;
a quintet for piano, 2 violins, viola, and violoncello;
a trio for piano, clarinet, and violoncello;
and a quintet for clarinet, 2 violins, viola, and violoncello.

All this wealth of extraordinary music is in a 5 CD set, performed by one of the finest chamber music ensembles in the world, with the added artistry of Christoph Eschenbach (piano), Cecil Aronowitz (viola), and Karl Leister (clarinet).

One CD is 50' 36 in length, 2 are in the low 60's, and 2 are in the low 70's.

I have an inexpensive CD player, but this music emerges from it with the sharpness of etched glass, the smoothness of warmed honey, and the softness of rivers of silver in moonlight.

This is music to celebrate the joy and the pathos of life, played with soul, sensitivity, and power. Buy it and treasure this gift to yourself.

Because they lasted such a long time and toward the end didn't play at their best, I found reasons to overlook the Madeus Qt. But in this 5-CD set of the complete chamber music of Brahms, there are some sublime performances--I would especially point to both String Sextets, for example. In every instance the style of the Amadeus is full of vibrancy and joy, and their ensemble isn't baased on technical perfection but rather a kinship of musical taste and feeling (this puts them poles apart from the Emerson Qt., for me at least). I also love the Brahms chamber performances on Sony with Yo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stern, emanuel Ax, and friends, but this DG set is altogether sweeter and more lyrical.

Since Amazon neglects to list the additional players who join the Amadeus for the works that aren't soely for a string quartet, here's the run-down from Tower:

1. Quartet for Strings no 1 in C minor, Op. 51 no 1
Ensemble: Amadeus String Quartet

2. Quartet for Strings no 2 in A minor, Op. 51 no 2
Ensemble: Amadeus String Quartet

3. Quartet for Strings no 3 in B flat major, Op. 67
Ensemble: Amadeus String Quartet

4. Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, Op. 34
Ensemble: Amadeus String Quartet
Performer: Eschenbach, Christoph

5. Quintet for Strings no 1 in F major, Op. 88
Ensemble: Amadeus String Quartet
Performer: Aronowitz, Cecil

6. Quintet for Strings no 2 in G major, Op. 111
Ensemble: Amadeus String Quartet
Performer: Aronowitz, Cecil

7. Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in A minor, Op. 114
Performer: Leister, Karl; Eschenbach, Christoph; Donderer, Georg

8. Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in B minor, Op. 115
Ensemble: Amadeus String Quartet
Performer: Leister, Karl

9. Sextet for Strings no 1 in B flat major, Op. 18
Ensemble: Amadeus String Quartet
Performer: Aronowitz, Cecil; Pleeth, William

10. Sextet for Strings no 2 in G major, Op. 36
Ensemble: Amadeus String Quartet
Performer: Aronowitz, Cecil; Pleeth, William

I just want to warn anyone as brain-dead as I turned out to be that the recordings of the 3 string quartets included here are exactly the same recordings contained in Brahms: The String Quartets/Dvorak: Quartet, Op. 96.

D'oh!

They are very good recordings, of course, but one copy is enough.

(When you start making mistakes like this, is it a sign that you own too much music?)

So which should you buy? Well, I would get this 5-disc set because it is still a good deal--the quintets, sextets and clarinet music are all very good. In particular, the recording of Brahms' piano quintet in F minor here, with Eschenbach at the piano, is very highly recommended by people who would know.

And I personally would listen to Brahms' clarinet quintet five times, the 2nd sextet three times and the piano quintet in F minor at least twice for each time I listened to Dvorak's 13th string quartet--as nice as it in fact is.

You can get the Dvorak quartet, which is on the other edition but not here, elsewhere. In fact, Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Borodin: Quartets by the Emerson String Quartet comes highly recommended to me--so highly that I've decided to purchase it relatively soon to compare to the Amadeus, which I've been enjoying. The Emerson's Dvorak has a slightly better reputation, but of course there's no accounting for taste.

(Evidently the answer to the parenthetically posed question above is an emphatic "No!")

This recording was such a definitive introduction to the Brahms quintets and sextets (included on the DG complete edition) that the extraordinarily unfortunate omission of the exposition repeats in the Op. 18 sextet and the Op. 111 quintet (especially the latter, which has a glorious first ending and return--thus they have here cut ACTUAL MUSIC that Brahms wrote) have been glossed over and forgotten. I'd like to contact Martin Lovett, the last surviving member of the Amadeus, to ask him why they made such an egregious and unforgivable decision that mars such a glorious and classic recording.

If you want to hear what the repeats sound like, the Verdi Quartet with guests from the old Melos Quartet has just released a CD on Hänssler of these VERY TWO pieces that include the repeats (Op. 18 and Op. 111). Once you hear how awesome the repeat of Op. 111 is, if you've only known this recording, you will put a hex on Norbert Brainin's grave for omitting it (it was surely his decision as quartet leader).

Overall, I really enjoy these pieces. The playing is good, and the sound is quite live, which I enjoy. My favorite piece is the Quintet in G Major Op.111, though the sextet in Bb is a close second. I am a perfectionist, and my familiarity with these pieces led me to be a little dissapointed, which is why there is only 4 stars. My dissapointment stems from two facts:
1. In the first movement of the Brahms G Major Op.111, the string quintet elects not to take the repeat in m.56, so you will never hear the first ending on this recording and thus only get one shot at the awesome cello opening. I haven't listened closely enough to the other pieces on this set to discern if they avoided other repeats or not, but for the most part, they appear to be there.

2. There are technical printing problems. Though the recording is so live that you can hear the breath of the musicians and their fingers fall on the strings, there are some actual technical pops in the recording. Perhaps it was a transfer problem from analog to digital, as the recordings are old. Most of these pops are minor, but they are dissapointing for an audiophile such as myself. My CDs are pristine (no scratches at all), and even the first time playing them these pops were there. So, here's the list of what I've found thus far:

CD 3:
Track 6: Pops & clicks at 1:19 & 1:22.

CD 5:
Track 1: Pops at 6:01.
Track 2: Pops & clicks at 0:13, 3:56, & 6:16.
Track 5: Pop at 12:07.
Track 7: Pop & clicks at 6:11, 7:45, 7:51-7:52 (these are quite noticable), 7:59, 8:03, 8:11.
Track 8: Pop at 7:34.

It is a well-played set; hopefully they will get the printing correct on the next batch.

I have listened to these discs over and over, and I still keep finding new rhythmic figures and inner sonorities that give me great listening pleasure and fresh musical insights. Masterpieces beautifully played and marvelously recorded !!!

The reviewers above who write of omitted repeats and technical problems (a few clicks and channel re-adjustment during mid-play) are all correct.

Be that as it may, I have found these to be masterly performed with appropriate tempo and dynamics. I enjoy listening to all of these works by one of the greatest composers who lives, Johannes Brahms. I would immediately recommend this set to anyone, but so long as they don't mind some slight imperfections during recording. They are not rampant but they are noticeable when listening to the discs with a headset. I am typically very picky on this matter but I find overall, that these recordings of Brahms' works absolutely top-notched.

This is merely the best recording I have purchased this year, a magnifical reason of happiness and spell, since it re-collects the finest masterworks of Brahms's chamber music in 5 cds with the devoted art of Amadeus Quartet and of clarinetist Karl Leister, who surely reaches in the extraordinary Quintet op. 115 the zenith of his career. Excellent. Five stars.

Ok, I am going to admit that I purchased this cd boxed set because I truly enjoy chamber music. There is a simplicity and beauty inherent to music played by a select few. Please don't misunderstand me, I enjoy all forms of classical music. Still-trios, quartets, and quintets hold a special place in my music collection.

If your taste is similar, let me say that this is a must have! The playing is superb! This is a cd that can be played over and over and a new discovery is made each time. I give this boxed cd set my highest recommendation!