Brahms: Piano Quintet & Schumann: String Quartet No. 1

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The Pacifica Quartet [give an] affectionate account of Schumann’s A minor string quartet, making unashamed use of portamento where appropriate. Particularly fine is the ardour of the slow movement,... — BBC Music Magazine, September 2017, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 10th Mar 2017
Catalogue No: CDR90000170
Label: Cedille
Length: 71 minutes

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Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34

Work length45:07

$11.00

$14.20

$19.25

Menahem Pressler
Pacifica Quartet

I. Allegro non troppo

Track length16:23

$4.00

$5.15

$7.00

II. Andante un poco adagio

Track length9:00

$2.00

$2.60

$3.50

III. Scherzo. Allegro

Track length8:16

$2.00

$2.60

$3.50

IV. Finale. Poco sostenuto - Allegro non troppo

Track length11:28

$3.00

$3.85

$5.25

Schumann: String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 41 No. 1

Work length26:24

$5.00

$6.50

$8.75

Pacifica Quartet

I. Introduction. Andante espressivo - Allegro

Track length9:49

$2.00

$2.60

$3.50

II. Scherzo. Presto - Intermezzo

Track length4:01

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

III. Adagio

Track length6:08

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

IV. Presto

Track length6:26

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

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The internationally celebrated, Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet joins forces with legendary pianistMenahem Pressler of the Beaux Arts Trio for Johannes Brahms’s Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34, a pillar ofGerman Romanticism that opens with one of the most recognizable melodies in classical music. Pressler, aconsummate chamber artist, performs the virtuosic piano part with a clarity and transparency that makes thepiano seem like a fellow member of the string ensemble.

This noteworthy generation-crossing collaboration — a half-century separates the pianist, who is in his 90s,from the quartet members — yields a spacious, sweeping traversal of the Brahms Quintet that sets its ownpace to build suspense and drama. While Pressler has performed the Brahms Quintet with marquee stringquartets of the past 50 years, this is his first recording of it.

The album offers the unusual, perhaps unprecedented, pairing of Brahms’s early Piano Quintet with astring quartet by his champion Robert Schumann, in this case, the String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 41, No.1,which the Quartet has been performing since early in its career. Dedicated to Mendelssohn, this buoyant,sprightly Romantic quartet showcases the Pacifica’s virtuosity and exuberant performance style while offeringa contrast to Brahms’s moodier masterwork. This is the Quartet’s first recording of a Schumann work.

Reviews

September 2017

The Pacifica Quartet [give an] affectionate account of Schumann’s A minor string quartet, making unashamed use of portamento where appropriate. Particularly fine is the ardour of the slow movement, with its echoes of the Adagio from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

May 2017

This is not Brahms of driving energy, yet you are constantly aware that Pressler is a supreme chamber musician and the way he can illuminate even the most familiar passage is constantly fascinating. There’s a genuine conversation going on between string players and pianist…the Pacifica are superbly responsive

9th April 2017

[Pressler] thunders and dances through Brahms’s huge F minor quintet Op 34, embracing the grandeur of the opening, the poignancy of the Andante, the turbulence of the Scherzo and the impassioned high drama of the Finale. All goes at such a lick that at times the Pacifica Quartet’s intonation is challenged but the sense of risk makes for an exciting account. Schumann’s Quartet No 1, restless and full of contrasting moods, makes a good companion piece, eloquently played.

Brahms: Piano Quintet & Schumann: String Quartet No. 1

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