Piano Quintets?

[The new erato]

Jean Cras.

[Roasted Swan]

+1 for Bax & Bridge - this version is superbly played;

[Roasted Swan]

With Dohnanyi you already have some of the lesser known ones. For similarly very late romantic there is e.g. Taneyev and Medtner. There is also an early fairly romantic work by Bartok. For somewhat more modern but also accessible try Bloch (2 of them) and Shostakovich.

you probably know the Franck already. Chausson didn't write a quintet, but a piano quartet and a sextet that is called "concert" for piano, violin and string quartet. Two more late romantic French options are Pierné and Vierne with one piano quintet each. All of them should be appealing if you like Franck's and Fauré's

+1 for the Vierne - a very powerful memorial to his son killed in WW1

[vandermolen]

+1 for Bax & Bridge - this version is superbly played;

How could I forget those ones 
+1 for Jean Cras as well.

[Jo498]

While we are at (too) late romantic behemoths: Korngold and Schmidt. Franz Schmidt wrote one for piano (originally left hand only, it has later been arranged for two hands as well) + string quartet and two for piano, clarinet and vl, va, vc. Of the A major there is apparently a newish one on cpo as well; I only have heard the old Marco Polo.

[asin]B000028B1W[/asin] [asin]B000024OK7[/asin] [asin]B01L2ZS2S8[/asin]

[ritter]

Welcome aboard, Whisperer!

My two propositions concerning piano quintets would be:

1) George Enescu's Piano Quintet in A minor, op. 29 (form 1940). One of the best examples of this composer's late, highly personal style. The last movement is perhaps a bit too long and slightly wayward, but this does not detract from the work's great beauty.

https://www.youtube.com/v/mMq2jk9S89k&t=23s

2) Reynaldo Hahn's Piano Quintet in F-sharp major (from 1922). A backward-looking, nostalgic piece, but very enjoyable (particularly the delightful, carefree last movement, allegretto grazioso)

https://www.youtube.com/v/KPV9UuWrw28  https://www.youtube.com/v/6oh3sVpEU9c  https://www.youtube.com/v/zcNvAHYFplA

[Florestan]

Welcome aboard, Whisperer!

My two propositions concerning piano quintets would be:

1) George Enescu's Piano Quintet in A minor, op. 29 (form 1940). One of the best examples of this composer's late, highly personal style. The last movement is perhaps a bit too long and slightly wayward

Many of his last movements tend to be like that. 

2) Reynaldo Hahn's Piano Quintet in F-sharp major (from 1922). A backward-looking, nostalgic piece, but very enjoyable (particularly the delightful, carefree last movement, allegretto grazioso)

https://www.youtube.com/v/KPV9UuWrw28  https://www.youtube.com/v/6oh3sVpEU9c  https://www.youtube.com/v/zcNvAHYFplA

How on earth could I forget it?   

[San Antone]

I know this thread is devoted to piano quintets, but because of it, I discovered Kalevi Aho's two unique quintets featuring bassoon and alto saxophone:



Well worth the journey.

[71 dB]

I have always felt Piano Quintet to be an overlooked sub-genre of chamber music.

[Jo498]

There is a huge discrepancy between the handful or so of very famous pieces (Schumann, Brahms, Dvorak, Franck, Fauré, Shostakovich) and the dozens of virtually unknown pieces.

[mc ukrneal]

In case more names are desired: Farrenc, Arensky, Eduard Franck, Kiel, and Saint-Saens.

[André]

Ernest Bloch's first PQ is a corker, its opening unlike anything I've heard - always makes me think of 'insect music'.

[Daverz]

How could I forget those ones 
+1 for Jean Cras as well.

This CD was one of my "Best of 2019" choices:

[asin]B07WTKFGQC[/asin]

[Florestan]

There is a huge discrepancy between the handful or so of very famous pieces (Schumann, Brahms, Dvorak, Franck, Fauré, Shostakovich) and the dozens of virtually unknown pieces.

You mean in quality? If yes, I disagree.

[Jo498]

I meant in popularity. Because one can hardly claim that pieces like the Brahms, Dvorak or Schumann quintets are overlooked, so it is dubious that the genre as such is overlooked.
But I also think that while these differences in popularity are usually disproportional they are rarely completely unfounded.

As you mentioned a few of the sub-subgenre pieces with double bass that are often like miniature piano concerti (of which the only really famous one is Schubert's Trout) I think that several of these are somewhat deservedly obscure. I say this as a (relative) fan who has collected quite a bit of late classical/early romantic "mixed" chamber music for such larger or mixed ensembles.

[vandermolen]

This CD was one of my "Best of 2019" choices:

[asin]B07WTKFGQC[/asin]

Wasn't aware of that release so many thanks for the recommendation.

[Mirror Image]

Welcome aboard, Whisperer!

My two propositions concerning piano quintets would be:

1) George Enescu's Piano Quintet in A minor, op. 29 (form 1940). One of the best examples of this composer's late, highly personal style. The last movement is perhaps a bit too long and slightly wayward, but this does not detract from the work's great beauty.

https://www.youtube.com/v/mMq2jk9S89k&t=23s

A big YES to the Enescu Quintet. Such a fine work and this would be my pick as well. Also, a welcome from me as well.

[vandermolen]

I've enjoyed reading all these recommendations myself and hope that Whisperer gets round to seeing them.

[Whisperer]

Dear All

Thank you for your interesting and thoughtful replies. I had not signed in for a while. Caring can be isolating so it was lovely to receive so many replies and the recommendations they contained. I will use YouTube to examine your recommendations further and I must admit there are composers mentioned I had never heard of until now.

That is one thing I love about classical music. It has a huge number of works and composers. Each person finds different pieces appeals to them. Interestingly I have found that a piece of music can become appealing over time. I am not very interested in symphonies, beyond Beethoven. However a few have become favourites that when I first heard them, sometimes long ago, they had no appeal. Schumann's Spring symphony and Schubert's unfinished symphony are two examples. The music does not appeal at one time in your life, later it does and you wonder why it did not the first time round. I guess we just move on and change.

Any way once again many thanks to all those who replied to my initial query.

Best wishes for the future.

[André]

Very nice reply !

Your words of thanks to all who participated in your thread are duly noted and appreciated.

Keep well!

André