Customer Reviews

Schumann: Piano Quintet, Andante & Variations, Fantasiestucke; Martha Argerich

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As Martha Argerich approached her peak years, she shifted her focus from her legendary, firery solo recitals to the more 'relaxed' group experience of chamber music. And judging from this CD (and her Brahms /Mendelssohn live recording also on EMI), she seems to emensely enjoy it. This CD is recorded live at the Concertgebouw, Holland, in 1994 with several musical friends including Misha Maisky and - along with its companion pieces on another disc - remains a landmark recording. The Amazon reviewer summarized things quite well above. The music here is alive and vibrant, ranging from full-out playing from the Argentinian in the Quintet's final two movements to her graceful support role in the other, haughtingly lovely chamber pieces.

The Schumann Quintet is a splendid example of Martha's versatile pianism where she maintains throughout a lively propulsion forward that one would expect from Ms. Argerich. Penguin Guide says Argerich's performance of the quintet is "the most dynamic and interesting on disc" - which is not hard to believe listening to this spirited and most enjoyable live performance. The Quintet is Schumann's finest chamber composition and, along with the quintets of Dvorak and Brahms, achieves masterpiece status in the repertoire. I cannot say I was thrilled with the sound ambiance here which is clear and full but lacks the richness and depth of tonality of modern recordings. But, thankfull, there is virtually no audience noise in this live recording, except some well-deserved applause at the end.

The other Schumann chamber works featuring horn, cello and viola are wonderfully rich in tone, relaxed in tempo and curiously eclectic at times as Schumann can be. The two cello solists bring sensuous, musically-rich playing against Argerich's smooth and expressive piano foundation. For VIOLA fans, the alluring and somewhat rare viola and piano sonata (Op. 113) features soaring lines from Ms. Imai's beautifully sounding viola. The duo-piano piece is also marvelous. Throughout these performances one gets the sense that Martha and friends are completely at one with the music, wonderfully in synch with each other and truly enjoying the moment - all of which leads to a memorable performance. Here is a really different Martha Argerich as compared to the dynamic soloist in her legendary recitals - but one no less able to bring the sense of drama and anticipation to the music she is known for. Also, her live performance of Brahms' "Quintet" (for piano duo, Op. 34b) and Mendelssohn's piano trio #1 also on EMI is equally satisfying and highly recommended. Both live recordings give you a sense of being right in the front row of the action and witnessing great music by great musicians.

Fine, fine performances of a Schumann standard and a wonderful Schumann rarity. I won't say that the Quintet plays itself, but there are enough fail-safe elements--winning melodies, high drama in the slow movement, and that famous double fugue in the finale--that if you're a group of musicians with a high level of proficiency, you can produce a decent interpretation of this music. In fact, I haven't heard a bad performance on disc. But this one by Chang and Company is certainly among the best I've heard. The playing is predictably superb, but then the interpretation captures all those famous felicities just about to perfection. And in the fast movements there is the special abandon that often takes over in live performance, here creating thrilling results rather than merely frenetic ones.

But the main reason to get this disc is for the Schumann Andante Variations. I have never heard or even heard mention of a performance in either of my two cities, Atlanta and Philadelphia, in the 30 or so years I've been interested in such matters. The main problem, I guess, is bringing together two fine pianists and cellists PLUS two horn players capable of bringing off Schumann's ripely romantic gestures. There's not a lot for the string and brass players to do all the time, but when called on, they have to produce, especially the horn players. This is lovely music, maybe even more at the core of what Schumann is all about than the Quintet, with its formal structure and classic mien. This performance is certainly about the best I've heard on disc.

The only letdown, a small one, is that the live recording is a bit dry and clinical. This is more evident in the Quintet for some reason than in the Andante and Variations. And it doesn't seriously detract from the many musical joys on display.

This Schumann album, with special thanks to Martha Argerich, quite possibly contains the best live performances of this music captured for posterity and the marvelled enjoyment of many. As far as the Piano Quintet alone is concerned, with the energy and controlled passion of its live performance, there is no equal in print.

Some people have claimed that Martha Argerich is at her very best in chamber music, and listening to the performances on this disc one can surely see where they are coming from. In the piano quintet Argerich is something of a primus inter pares - she obviously directs the performance from the piano, but given the first-rate musicians onboard the performance ends up sounding utterly unified anyway. Now, there are many first-rate versions of Schumann's piano quintet out there, but I doubt that anyone has given us such a breath-taking, exquisitely shaped and brilliantly colorful scherzo. The outer movements are smoldering and fiery with immensely impressively shaped climaxed, and if there is a hint of waywardness in the slow movement I suspect it is just as much myself trying to find at least something objectionable in this otherwise glorious account.

The Andante & Variations, while not among Schumann's greatest works, is just as magnificently performed; intense but subtly nuanced, imaginative and with an alignment of timbre that few other chamber partnerships could even dream of. The wonderfully atmospheric Märchenbilder are full of depth and warmth in Nobuko Imai's hands, and the Fantasiestücke with Natalia Gutman is imaginative but smooth and eloquent. The recorded sound is immediate and generally impressive, and the easy conclusion is that this is a simply unmissable disc. Glorious.

I love Piano Quintet op.44, a masterpiece of lyrism and psychological density. And I love Martha Argerich. She is a hurricane. She has astonishing technical mastery as much as flame, carnal impetus, surprise. The other interpreters are compatible ones and join with refinement the piano queen. It is an extraordinary record. Five stars.

I confess that I was intersted in this more for the theme which was used in the old movie "The Black Cat" with Bela Lugosi & Boris Karloff. This recording is a great introduction to Robert Schumann chamber music. Performance is perfect in my opinion.