The Piano Quartet Thread

[snyprrr]

Ahh,... the Most Elusive of All...is it merely a glorified Piano Trio? Is it just there because it's there? Is there anyone whose favorite music is a Piano Quartet?

All these questions are irrelevant; we have business to attend to! I have no references before me, and can't quite remember who's got what, but, I suppose we start with Mozart, Schumann, Brahms, and Dvorak, and Faure? I've been listening to the two by Faure, and, well, I just find them nice and light, and am seeking something more of a Late Work.

Let me make this OP short, so we can get down to it.

[snyprrr]

Mozart

[snyprrr]

Schumann

[snyprrr]

Brahms

[snyprrr]

Faure

[snyprrr]

Dvorak

[snyprrr]

I'm under the impression that Suk, Dohnanyi, Novak, and all the other Composers of this type have P4Qs.

[snyprrr]

Out of the Big Generation of war-time Composers, the only P4Q that pops is Martinu's, which I can't quite remember from the Naxos release. Hindemith, Prokofiev, etc.,... I don't think we come up with one, do we?

And, of course, the P4Q was probably verboten in Avant circles, so, that probably makes our job easier, but, then, what does that leave us? A bunch of second tier Czech, French, and Russian names? I know there is a Dorian cd of 'Russian Piano Quartets', which, I believe, includes Taneyev and Juon (Borodin?).

[snyprrr]

Looking around, I find Fogliame (1992; Caprice) by Anders Eliasson, which I have enjoyed for many years. It has the sunlight-through-the-trees shivering that I so like, a very delightful Modern piece.

I believe I also have one by Gerald Barry (BlackBox) that is perhaps a little more typical of grey Modernism.

hmm,... I'm just not seeing anything here in the Modern section of The Library, and I can't recall anything by the Big Generation of Modernist Composers (Berio, Xenakis, Ligeti, etc.,...). Perhaps the P4Q has been laid to rest?

[snyprrr]

Ha!, I just found one, and, I would argue, it is the Modern Masterpiece of this combination: the Copland. I do just love this mid-century neo-classical-cum-serialism. Maybe this piece sums up the whole argument: there is nothing more to be said for this instrumentation? Let's have a listen...

[snyprrr]

And, as mentioned in the PQ Thread: Lekeu.

[snyprrr]

And, there is a P4Q on the same cd that has my favorite Castillon PQ.

[Lethevich]

Of the ones you mention, Fauré's two are unbeatable, and the Schumann is in no ways inferior to the quintet. I do love that Lekeu - it's as autumnal/gigantic as it gets - shame it's unfinished. Aside from the ones you mention, there is Enescu (2), Walton (quite fine), Saint-Saëns (one or two I think), and three from Mendelssohn.

In the "reasonable but not masterpieces" lot, Tubin wrote a reasonable one in a single movement. Fibich has one which I cannot remember a note of. Bridge's phantasy quartet is quite good, but I need to listen more. Bax wrote a solid one. It sounds very... Bax-y. Gernsheim wrote three, very much in the Brahms/Dvořák mould. Xaver Scharwenka's is not too different. Searching my collection, I notice that Vasks wrote one which I cannot remember ever hearing. Must fix this soon.

If you wish to dive right into obscurities, there is a pleasant disc of British piano quartets on Albany.

[asin]B000NJVYUI[/asin]

In he same repertoire (are my biases showing?) there is also this nice collection:

[asin]B0007KLL7O[/asin]

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Ha, I was thinking today "some1 oughta start a piano 4tet thread"... and the snyprrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr beat me to it 

I don't find much to say though...I like the usual suspects: Mozart (both of 'em), Brahms (not crazy about Op. 26 yet though - too meandering and Schubertian...but the other 2 are masterpieces), Dvorak (both of 'em, with preference for Op. 87, one of his greatest chamber works)...

Have yet to hear Schumann or Faure.

[snyprrr]

Of the ones you mention, Fauré's two are unbeatable, and the Schumann is in no ways inferior to the quintet. I do love that Lekeu - it's as autumnal/gigantic as it gets - shame it's unfinished. Aside from the ones you mention, there is Enescu (2), Walton (quite fine), Saint-Saëns (one or two I think), and three from Mendelssohn.

In the "reasonable but not masterpieces" lot, Tubin wrote a reasonable one in a single movement. Fibich has one which I cannot remember a note of. Bridge's phantasy quartet is quite good, but I need to listen more. Bax wrote a solid one. It sounds very... Bax-y. Gernsheim wrote three, very much in the Brahms/Dvořák mould. Xaver Scharwenka's is not too different. Searching my collection, I notice that Vasks wrote one which I cannot remember ever hearing. Must fix this soon.

If you wish to dive right into obscurities, there is a pleasant disc of British piano quartets on Albany.

[asin]B000NJVYUI[/asin]

In he same repertoire (are my biases showing?) there is also this nice collection:

[asin]B0007KLL7O[/asin]

Intimacy is the word that comes to mind. Yes, those two discs look pleasant. I have the Bridge on Hyperion, but of course the PT2. I think the Sprague Coolidge Competition fostered a lot of British P4Qs?

[Lethevich]

I hadn't even heard of that competition - I should read more booklet notes...

It's kind of sad that the Hurlstone quartet isn't as amazing as had I hoped. Hurlstone's early death represented a big "what if" in English music, much the same way Lekeu did in Belgium.