Brahms' single contribution to the scant piano quintet repertoire is recognized as one of his finest compositions as well as one of the greatest works of piano chamber music in the canon. Written well in advance of the First Symphony, the Piano Quintet nonetheless has a broad, sweeping, orchestral feeling to it. The piano, in a typically dark, dense, Brahmsian fashion, dominates throughout. This recording, made in the converted Heimbach Hydroelectric Power Station, falls short of capturing this intensity, particularly from ...
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Brahms' single contribution to the scant piano quintet repertoire is recognized as one of his finest compositions as well as one of the greatest works of piano chamber music in the canon. Written well in advance of the First Symphony, the Piano Quintet nonetheless has a broad, sweeping, orchestral feeling to it. The piano, in a typically dark, dense, Brahmsian fashion, dominates throughout. This recording, made in the converted Heimbach Hydroelectric Power Station, falls short of capturing this intensity, particularly from the piano. The lower end of the ensemble is typically muddy and indistinct, and the left hand of the piano in particular is nowhere near strong enough. Other aspects of the performance are generally acceptable; the ensemble's interpretation is appropriately robust and spacious, intonation (save for some difficulty in the upper strings) is mostly accurate, and pacing is well-thought out. The sound quality of the performance venue, however, quickly negates most of the positive...
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