[9/4/2011] Sunday Classics: On second thought, let's start with Brahms's First Piano Quartet (continued)

Pianist Murray Perahia and three-fourths of the Amadeus Quartet -- violinist Norbert Brainin, violist Peter Schidloff, and cellist Martin Lovett -- play the Andante con moto of the Brahms G minor Piano Quartet for us below.


I think this music speaks so well for itself that I'm going to confine myself to two, or maybe three, notes. First, note how (seemingly) effortlessly Brahms shares and divides material between the piano and the strings -- his three piano trios, three piano quartets, and lone piano quintet all have the benefit of his confident keyboard mastery. Second, the First Quartet really doesn't have a proper slow movement. Nominally the third movement, Andante con moto, is it. But in fact the Andante con moto functions more like a scherzo (complete with lusciously contrasting trio), of which you'll note there officially isn't one here.
However, Neeme Järvi, in his performance of the Schoenberg orchestral version, seems to take the "andante" part more to heart. Compare this with either the Perahia-Amadeus performance or especially the very nice no-nonsense video performance we had last night.

Which brings me to my third point, which applies to all three of the Brahms piano quartets, but especially the first two: In almost every movement performers can make choices of pacing and emphasis and accentuation that can make the music sound like a different piece. Someday perhaps we should take a listen to some of this range of possibilities, but for now I think you'll get some feeling for it


BRAHMS: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
(Including the orchestral version by Arnold Schoenberg)

i. Allegro

Talk about an all-star ensemble: violist Bashmet,
cellist Maisky, pianist Argerich, violinist Kremer.

Martha Argerich, piano; Gidon Kremer, violin; Yuri Bashmet, viola; Mischa Maisky, cello. DG, recorded February 2002

And Schoenberg's take --
London Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos, recorded July 11-13, 1988

ii. Intermezzo: Allegro ma non troppo

Last night we heard the great Borodin Trio playing the first movements of the Brahms G minor and A major Piano Quartets, from their grand-scaled, impassioned Chandos recording of all three quartets. Today I thought we would dip back in time before violinist Rostislav Dubinsky and his wife, pianist Luba Edlinkov, emigrated from the Soviet Union.

Luba Edlina, piano; Borodin Quartet members (Rostislav Dubinsky, violin; Dmitri Shebalin, viola; Valentin Berlinsky, cello). Melodya, recorded late 1960s or early 1970s

And Schoenberg's take --
London Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos, recorded July 11-13, 1988

iii. Andante con moto

Murray Perahia, piano; Amadeus Quartet members (Norbert Brainin, violin; Peter Schidlof, viola; Martin Lovett, cello). Sony, recorded June 29-July 1, 1986

And Schoenberg's take --
London Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos, recorded July 11-13, 1988

iv. Rondo alla zingarese: Presto

Ruth Laredo, piano; Shanghai Quartet members (Weigang Li, violin; Honggang Li, viola; James Wilson, cello). Arabesque, recorded April 26-30, 1999

And Schoenberg's take --
London Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi, cond. Chandos, recorded July 11-13, 1988

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