Brahms Chamber Music

[samtrb]

I would like recommendations for Brahms chamber music. I already know the sonatas for violin and piano by Ashkenazy and Perlman and i am pretty satisfied with them. I have seen a double disc of the trios by the same artists plus Harrell on the cello (it is out of print now) but thought of asking for advice before getting it. I know that the "competition" is high with the Beaux-Arts trio, Rubinstein and friends, Stern Ax Rose, or others
I have no idea about the piano and string quartets. I just heard on the radio a version of a string quintet with Pinchas Zukerman and his ensemble and found it marvellous. it is a live version and comes with a mozart quintet.
Thanks

[Rabin_Fan]

Hi Sam,

The violin sonatas are best served by Suk & Katchen (Decca 24/96 mastering plus beautiful playing). I also have both Perlmans but they yield to the Suk version.

Re: Other chamber music - I love his String Sextets (so many versions to choose from). Menuhin & friends (EMI), Alberni Q & friends (CDR), Raphael Ens (Hyperion), ASMIF (Chandos), etc. I have the Menuhin & Raphael versions.

Regards - RF

[Dancing Divertimentian]

There's such a rich legacy of first-rate Brahms chamber music on disc! Picking just one per category as 'best' is next to impossible.

In lieu of that I offer a few of my 'faves'...

For the string quartets:

This is actually an odd duck as the set I'd pick hasn't even hit the shelves yet. The venerable Takács quartet on Hyperion is scheduled to release a new cycle of the quartets in the coming months so if it's possible I'd recommend holding out until then.   

Although, admittedly, the wait isn't as big a deal for me as I'm already blessed with two complete cycles of the quartets: the the Juilliard on Sony and the Lasalle on DG (OOP, sadly). I also have a fondness for the Leipzig's second quartet (Op.51/2) on MDG.

For the piano quartets I would highly recommend the much praised Hollywood set on Testament. It's a three CD set so springing for it might put you back a bit but you do get some worthwhile goodies as filler: the piano quintet Op.34, second string quartet, and Schumann's ever popular piano quintet Op.44. All first-rate and very well recorded even if in mono.

Additionally, for the piano quartets I heartily recommend a couple of dark horse recordings: one on Ondine by a foursome of players that might be low on exposure but high on insight:



...and another one from the Heimbach Chamber Music Festival on EMI (with Julia Fischer(!) on violin in the Op.25):




Of course, there's always the Beaux Arts. But I've yet to hear them in the piano quartets. But with the quality press they get it's probably a safe bet they're on top of things.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

For the piano trios you could do much worse than these two excellent recordings:

[Que]

Check the old forum:http://www.good-music-guide.com/forum/index.php/topic,2774.0.html
(what's wrong with that search engine - it took me over 5 attempts! )

Forgive me my copy & paste..

violin sonatas: Suk/Katchen (Decca)
clarinet sonatas & trio: only for those who like the challenge of finding it : Walter Boeykens/Vanden Eynden/Dieltiens on Ricercar (OOP)
cello sonatas: Rostropovich/Serkin (DG)
piano trios: Suk/Katchen/Starker (Decca). But I also like the Florestan Trio (Hyperion), combined with the horn trio.
horn trio: on period instruments - makes a big difference with a natural horn, Greer/Chase/Lubin (HM)
string quartets: Alban Berg Qt (Teldec - not EMI); nos. 1 & 2 - Busch Qt (Biddulph)
piano quartets: nos. 1-3 Rubinstein/Guarneri Qt (RCA); no.1 - Rubinstein/Pro Arte Qt & no. 2 - Serkin/Busch Qt (Biddulph)
piano quintet: Rubinstein/Guarneri Qt (RCA); Serkin/Busch Qt (Pearl)
clarinet quintet: Leister/Berliner Solisten (Apex); Kell/Busch Qt (Testament)
string quintets: Trampler/Julliard Qt (Sony) (or the Raphael Ensemble)
string sextets: Raphael Ensemble (Hyperion)

Of course, there's always the Beaux Arts. But I've yet to hear them in the piano quartets. But with the quality press they get it's probably a safe bet they're on top of things.

I would not put my money on it! (No BAT for me)

BTW Donwyn, Im intrigued by your dark horses! I'll check them out.

Q

[Dancing Divertimentian]

For the string quintets:

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I would not put my money on it! (No BAT for me)

Q,

Since I haven't heard the BAT in any Brahms I've no choice but to take your word for it!

BTW Donwyn, Im intrigued by your dark horses! I'll check them out.

Q

Good luck!

[Que]

Q,

Since I haven't heard the BAT in any Brahms I've no choice but to take your word for it!

Maybe you shouldn't..
I generally dislike recordings by the Beaux Arts Trio (with noticeable exception of their earliest recordings) - aggressive, "high strung" pyrotechnics: definitely "New World".
Not my cup of tea. I'd rather stick with the Old World - like Brahms ..

BTW, I sampled your Scandinavians on Ondine with the piano quartets: very impressive - they really "got it".
I'm going to get that one.

Q

[Harry]

To try and to find out what you like in the music of Brahms, I would like to add some of the excellent Brilliant boxes with his complete chambermusic, for little money. Some duds, but most of it at a very acceptable quality.

[daPonte]

Any chamber music Brahms wrote for clarinet is very much worthwhile.

[val]

Some of my preferrences:

2 Sonatas for cello and piano by Du Pré and Baremboim.
The 3 violin sonatas by Suk and Katchen but in the 3rd the extraordinary version of David Oistrakh and Yampolski.
The clarinet Sonatas by De Peyer and Prior and, in the viola version, by Zukerman and Barenboim.

The piano trios by the Trio Wanderer in a recent version.
The horn Trio by Serkin, Tree and Bloom and the clarinet Trio by Kell, Pini and Kentner.

The string quartets by the Alban Berg Quartet, and the three piano Quartets by the Hollywood Quartet with Vitor Aler. But in the first Quartet opus 25, the version of Serkin with the Busch Quartet is unique.

Regarding the string Quintets I prefer the Amadeus with Aronowitz. In the piano quintet I hesitate between Eschenbach and the Amadeus and Bernathova with the Janacek Quartet.

The clarinet Quintet (my favorite work of Brahms) has in my opinion 3 remakable versions: Sabine Meyer with the Alban Berg Quartet, Leister with the Amadeus Quartet and the version with members of the Vienna Octet (including Alfred Boskovski).

For the Sextets, I prefer the Amadeus, with Aronowitz and Pleeth

[hornteacher]

Any chamber music Brahms wrote for clarinet is very much worthwhile.

Amen to that!  Let me recommend Martin Frost's CD of the two clarinet sonatas and trio.  Marvellous!

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=118774

[Bunny]

Here are two recordings of the cello sonatas that are both excellent.  The Isserlis/Hough recording is exceptional, and has won well deserved critical acclaim.  The Wispelwey/Komen is probably not quite as fine, but still is extremely well done. The recording is on period instruments, which for Brahms are very scarce, and it is done very well, indeed.  If you want to hear Brahms on gut strings, then Wispelwey is the way to go.  I recommend both of them very stongly.

Note: If anyone is interested in the Wispelwey/Komen Sonatas and is shopping at Amazon, for some reason it's listed as sonatas for violin and piano. 

Marc-Andre Hamelin and the Leopold String Trio have also recorded the Piano Quartets which is another favorite of mine.  Top quality sound as well as an amazing performance by Hamelin drives this recording to the top of the heap.  Not to be missed!



   

[BorisG]

I would like recommendations for Brahms chamber music. I already know the sonatas for violin and piano by Ashkenazy and Perlman and i am pretty satisfied with them. I have seen a double disc of the trios by the same artists plus Harrell on the cello (it is out of print now) but thought of asking for advice before getting it. I know that the "competition" is high with the Beaux-Arts trio, Rubinstein and friends, Stern Ax Rose, or others
I have no idea about the piano and string quartets. I just heard on the radio a version of a string quintet with Pinchas Zukerman and his ensemble and found it marvellous. it is a live version and comes with a mozart quintet.
Thanks

String Sextets - Raphael Ens.
String Quintets - Raphael Ens.
Clarinet Quintet - De Peyer & Melos Ens.
Piano Trios - Trio Fontenay
Cello Sonatas - Starker & Sebok
Violin Sonatas - Osostowicz & Tomes

[Bunny]

i've heard all his chamber stuff (no duds really), and many fine recordings available to choose from...my fave brahms chamber thing used to be the piano quintet, a killer piece, but then i heard his clarinet quintet  .... the pinnacle of his chamber output imo. 

The clarinet quintet is sublime, achingly beautiful.  Veilhan's recording with the Stadler Quintet is my preferred recording and it's just been re-released with the Mozart clarinet quintet instead of Stephan Krehl's Clarinet Quintet.

[MishaK]

This one is a classic, entirely in its own league:

[Rabin_Fan]

I can't stand Norbert Brainin's (Amadeus Quartet) wiry vibrato and thin tone.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

BTW, I sampled your Scandinavians on Ondine with the piano quartets: very impressive - they really "got it".
I'm going to get that one.

Indeed, I feel this group really does get it, Q.

The pianist, especially, really shows his meddle and the strings sound out with an arid lucidity that's quite cool yet packed with enthusiasm. 

The give and take between musicians is urgent and textures couldn't be more transparent.

A recipe for great Brahms!

[samtrb]

it seems the winner of this threat is Hyperion label with Florestan on the trios, Hamelin and friends on the piano quartets and Raphael on the quintets and sextets !

[val]

samtrb

it seems the winner of this threat is Hyperion label with Florestan on the trios, Hamelin and friends on the piano quartets and Raphael on the quintets and sextets !

I have the CD of the Raphael Ensemble. The sound is beautiful but it is all too "polite". I am sorry, but I cannot be more specific. I feel that something is missing, that I find in the Amadeus set, or the Berlin Octet.

Regarding the piano trios it is a pity that no one seems to care about the recent version of the Trio Wanderer. They are really extraordinary.