Artemis Quartet, Leif Ove Andsnes - Schumann, Brahms: Piano Quintets

EMI Classics Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and Virgin Classics' String Quartet, the Artemis, have Joined their Formidable Musical Forces to Record Two of the Most Beautiful Piano Quintets of the Romantic Chamber Music Repertoire. Their Collaboration Makes for What Will Certainly Be Considered a Landmark Recording, Bringing a New Vigour to These Well-known Masterpieces. The Programme Couples Two Major Piano Quintets by Brahms and Schumann. Brahms' Piano Quintet in F Minor Op.34 Is the Composer's Only Piano Quintet and is Considered One of his Finest Compositions. The Work Began Life as a String Quintet, Later Evolving Into a Sonata for Two Pianos, Before Taking Its Final Form in 1866. Of Schumann's Piano Quintet in E Op 44, Clara Schumann, who Premiered it Said: "a Glorious Piece, Extremely Brilliant and Effective. Schumann's Sole Composition for Piano Quintet was Composed in 1842, a Year Practically Devoted to the Composition of Chamber Works for Piano and Strings. Album Details

Precise but lacking warmth

If it's quick tempi you seek in these two works you won't be disappointed with this recording. Certainly Andsnes is the star and the playing of the Artemis is precise and tuneful but both performances lack the warmth I would expect in these two Romantic masterworks. Sometimes there is a rather clinical feel to the playing. The acoustic is just live enough to give a bloom to the sound unlike the Schubert Ensemble's recording (Schumann) where the excess echo causes serious blurring.

The Artemis' upper strings have a tendency to a thin sound at times but there is plenty of grunt at the lower end and a good separation between all instruments. Unfortunately I think this is a recording I would tire of quite quickly because overall the playing is not sufficiently engaging. There are better readings of the Schumann but the Brahms has considerable merit on this disc. February 19, 2008

An odd mixture of inspiration and ordinariness

If you were to sample the first and last movements of the Brahms Piano Quintet on this CD, the musical alliance of Andsnes and the Artemis Qt. seem ideal. Aided by gorgeous recorded sound, the ensemble carries wonderful convinciton in their phrasing -- you are pulled into a genuinely complex emotional world. I wouldn't rank the Artemis among the front rank of quartets that have recorded this masterpiece, but hey have a lovely sheen and a light touch. It's really Andsnes who carries the day -- he showed himself to be a great Brahms player in his recording with Simon Rattle of the Piano Cto #1. But the rhythms of the third movement seem a bit mechanical, and I don't fele the pathos of the second movement. The group seems intent on making sure that we don't hear the same old musty Brahms, but in cleaning off the varnish, I think they lost some of the painting.

The Schumann is an enjoyable, skillful reading, but I don't hear much personality. Andsnes and the Artemis prefer a quick-step first movement, but when they get to the Scherzo and finale, which benefit from sparkle and brio, their pacing is moderate -- I found myself wishing for a lot more zest. In every respect it's the Brahms that arouses the most interest. The Emerson Qt. and Leon Fleisher have jsut released their own masterful account, which this one can't compare to, but on its own terms the Andsnes-Artemis reading is certainly laudable. September 27, 2007

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