The pairing of Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44, with his Piano Quartet, Op. 47, in the same key is a natural one, and there are plenty of choices on the market. Schumann is at his most Beethovenian in these chamber works, symphonic on a chamber canvas, forging big, noble themes that are susceptible to a vast range of unexpected complexities and developments. Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov and Israel's Jerusalem Quartet deliver tight readings that are fully competitive with those by better-known ...
Read More
The pairing of Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44, with his Piano Quartet, Op. 47, in the same key is a natural one, and there are plenty of choices on the market. Schumann is at his most Beethovenian in these chamber works, symphonic on a chamber canvas, forging big, noble themes that are susceptible to a vast range of unexpected complexities and developments. Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov and Israel's Jerusalem Quartet deliver tight readings that are fully competitive with those by better-known combinations. They sacrifice a bit of the broad, Beethovenian quality in favor of a certain incisive flavor, crafting distinctive interpretations and working them out in detail. Sample the opening movement of the Piano Quintet (track 5), which as a whole clocks in at 28:24, perhaps a minute under the average. It has a restless quality that expands into a driving, almost demonic quality in the scherzo. Certainly this is not an unfamiliar flavor for Schumann, but to apply it to these abstract...
Read Less
Add this copy of Piano Quintet 4 to cart. $21.57, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2012 by Harmonia Mundi.
