Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 26

“These are beautifully expressive, thoughtful performances of two unalloyed masterpieces, presented with all the sonic excellence and distinction that we've come to expect from Onyx's series of recording with the Nash Ensemble...The middle movements especially strike me as outstanding, with a wonderful sense of regret and melancholy in the Adagio.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2010 *****

“[this] new recording keeps its wilder emotions suppressed, ever simmering under the surface. It's an approach that works well in late Brahms, especially when the playing is as classy as this: listen to the swirling pianissimo scales that close the first movement - breathtaking.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2010

“...the playing, by Richard Hosford (clarinet), Paul Watkins (cello) and Ian Brown (piano), does...ample justice to the work’s passionate melancholy...The splendid performance of the piano quartet shows the young Brahms’s intellectual power and melodic abundance to magnificent advantage.” Sunday Times, 2nd May 2010 ****

“An account of an early performance of the Trio said it was "as though the instruments were in love with one another" – which could equally fit this recording of the Piano Quartet No 2, such is the effortless mastery of the Nash Ensemble.” The Observer, 9th May 2010

“What freshness and spontaneity! Four first-rank players give their all to some of Brahms's most passionate music, and create the precious effect of discovering that music for the first time.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2008 *****

“…there is much to admire in this latest chamber set from the Capuçons et al. As ever, they don’t rely on received interpretative wisdom, and often shed new light where others follow more predictable paths.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2009

“these performances of the three Brahms piano quartets with viola player Gérard Caussé and pianist Nicholas Angelich, have a wonderfully natural flow and sense of poise. Angelich may be a Brahms specialist, but there is nothing overbearing or intellectualised about his contributions” The Guardian, 7th November 2008 ****

“The Schubert Ensemble have come up with another winning release” Hi-Fi News

“…sounds warm and palatable, even when judged by today’s best digital standards…beautiful playing by any standards, so poised…the Beaux Arts..are always a joy to encounter.” The Gramophone

“A delight from start to finish: this is such cultivated and characterized playing, which becomes quite exultant in the finale. It’s also beautifully recorded by Hyperion. Given that, this new set can take a well-earned place at the top of recommendations of these three works” International Record Review

“The G minor Quartet (No 1) opens simply, with Hamelin shaping the line beautifully but unaffectedly, the Leopold players gradually entering, their playing filled with ardour. The Zigeuner-finale is irresistibly ebullient, with a jaw-dropping ending … the other aspect that is so impressive about these readings is the sense of absolute precision, which lightens the textures and keeps edges crisp … Hamelin and the Leopold get to the heart of the matter in the soulful Poco adagio and while they in no way lack heft when it’s needed, particularly in the opening movement, there’s always a dancing quality to their playing which does much to illuminate textures” Gramophone Magazine

“Brahms's three piano quartets sometimes exhibit this tendency but in performances as fine as these it is triumphantly surmounted with a combination of brisk speeds and an extraordinary collective joie de vivre.
The G minor Quartet (No 1) opens simply, with Hamelin shaping the line beautifully but unaffectedly, the Leopold players gradually entering, their playing filled with ardour. The Zigeuner-finale is irresistibly ebullient, with a jawdropping ending. The other aspect that is so impressive about these readings is the sense of absolute precision, which lightens the textures and keeps edges crisp. Sample, for instance, the Scherzo of the C minor (No 3) which can, in some hands, sound positively elephantine. Not here though, Hamelin dealing with Brahms's dense chords as easily as if they were single lines.
The epic A major Quartet (No 2), more a symphony than a quartet, is a considerable challenge to players and audience. Hamelin and the Leopold get to the heart of the matter in the soulful Poco adagio and while they in no way lack heft when it's needed, particularly in the opening movement, there's always a dancing quality to their playing which does much to illuminate textures. This music certainly benefits from their defiantly un-Germanic approach.
Hamelin signs off with the Op 117 Intermezzi, as well recorded as the rest of the disc. They're elegantly played, but the main reason for buying this CD lies firmly with the quartets.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010