# Piano Quintet Back Waters



## whispering

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read this thread. I have just joined this website. There is a current thread about selecting your most favourite piano quintet, which I find impossible to do with so many great ones to hear - just look at the list and the wonders to behold. 

What I am trying to do is extend my appreciation of the piano quintet form, by finding those which are not so well known e.g. Fuchs, Herzogenberg, Foote, etc. What would be much appreciated is if you can post suggestions of other "off the beaten track" piano quintets. In using that term I am not judging the quality of the music, just noting that presently a piano quintet might not be attracting much attention - it is arguably being unfairly neglected? 

Perhaps another term to use would be "hidden gem". Hopefully members will appreciate what I am trying to do - you have a wealth of knowledge to draw on. Please take the time to think of any piano quintet which you think meets the "off the beaten track" or "hidden gem" title and reply. For example if I was thinking on a similar line with regards to piano concertos, then Brull No 1 and Stanford No 2 would come to mind. Not played very frequently but rewarding to get to know. Replies will be gratefully received.


----------



## ahinton

OK, here's my starter for however many, some more widely known than others, with approximate durations, arranged into projected programmes:

Weinberg 42’
---------------------------------------------
Elgar 37’
__________________________

__________________________
Bloch No. 1 32’
---------------------------------------------
Bax 47’
__________________________

__________________________
Ornstein 38’
---------------------------------------------
Brahms 38’
__________________________

__________________________
Shostakovich	37’
---------------------------------------------
Franck 36’
__________________________

__________________________
Fauré No. 2 32’
---------------------------------------------
Bridge 27’
Medtner 25’
__________________________

__________________________
Korngold 31’
---------------------------------------------
Schmitt 59’
__________________________

__________________________
Schumann 30’
---------------------------------------------
(modesty forbids)	80’


----------



## pjang23

Some off-the-beaten track works. All of them masterpieces IMO.

Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet Nos. 1 & 2
Bridge: Piano Quintet (1912)
Hummel: Piano Quintet in E flat
Bloch: Piano Quintet No. 1
Beach: Piano Quintet


----------



## hpowders

pjang23 said:


> Some off-the-beaten track works. All of them masterpieces IMO.
> 
> Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet Nos. 1 & 2
> Bridge: Piano Quintet (1912)
> Hummel: Piano Quintet in E flat
> Bloch: Piano Quintet No. 1
> Beach: Piano Quintet


Nice! I'm writing them all down. Completely unfamiliar to me!


----------



## TurnaboutVox

Some less well known piano quintets:

Schumann - Piano Quintet in C minor, WoO 32
Magnard - Piano Quintet Op. 8
Koechlin - Piano Quintet Op. 80
Bartok - Piano Quintet in C (1904)
Elgar - Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84
Bax - Piano Quintet (1908)
Bridge - Piano Quintet H.49 (1912)
Martinu - Piano Quintets No. 1 H. 229, No. 2 H.298


----------



## Chordalrock

I'm not sure if you mean to include all quintets with the piano or just the traditional piano + strings. Dictionaries say that both can be called piano quintet, so going by that, I want to mention:

Static (2003) by Sebastian Currier

The composer may not be entirely obscure, as he has been championed by Anne-Sophie Mutter, but I don't see him mentioned often, and this particular work is definitely of the hidden gem variety.


----------



## Chordalrock

Here's the second movement of that work:


----------



## Pugg

Chordalrock said:


> I'm not sure if you mean to include all quintets with the piano or just the traditional piano + strings. Dictionaries say that both can be called piano quintet, so going by that, I want to mention:
> 
> Static (2003) by Sebastian Currier
> 
> The composer may not be entirely obscure, as he has been championed by Anne-Sophie Mutter, but I don't see him mentioned often, and this particular work is definitely of the hidden gem variety.


This kept me thinking for the moment I saw this thread .


----------



## Quartetfore

Eduard Franck
Joachim Raff
Phillipp Scharwenka
Did some one mention Taneyev`s work?
QF


----------



## Animal the Drummer

Dvorak and the lesser-known Gernsheim penned some beauties.


----------



## Quartetfore

Should also add the work by Ludwig Thuille Op.20. He was of the generation of Strauss and Reger. Its a very "Romantic" work, and very influenced by Wagner
QF


----------



## Omicron9

pjang23 said:


> Some off-the-beaten track works. All of them masterpieces IMO.
> 
> Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet Nos. 1 & 2
> Bridge: Piano Quintet (1912)
> Hummel: Piano Quintet in E flat
> Bloch: Piano Quintet No. 1
> Beach: Piano Quintet


A big YES to the Bloch. Wonderful chamber compositions, and rather underrated.

-09


----------



## Bettina

I recommend Beethoven's Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op. 16. A great piece which, for some reason, is fairly obscure (at least compared to the fame achieved by many of his other works). It certainly deserves to be better known!


----------



## KenOC

Bettina said:


> I recommend Beethoven's Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op. 16. A great piece which, for some reason, is fairly obscure (at least compared to the fame achieved by many of his other works). It certainly deserves to be better known!


Beethoven's Op. 16 is pretty well known, both as a piano/wind quintet and in its other form as a piano/string quartet. It is often paired with Mozart's k.452 quintet, which seems to have inspired it.


----------



## hpowders

Bettina said:


> I recommend Beethoven's Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op. 16. A great piece which, for some reason, is fairly obscure (at least compared to the fame achieved by many of his other works). It certainly deserves to be better known!


Beethoven's compliment to Mozart and his own Quintet in E Flat for Piano & Winds, it seems.


----------



## Portamento

I just made a thread in the Composer Discussion forum (here). There I ranked a bunch of piano quintets - here is the list:

1. Schnittke
2. Schmitt
3. Pierné 
4. Ornstein
5. Koechlin
6. Beach
7. Fibich
8. Shostakovich
9. Fauré (2nd)
10. Medtner 
11. Vierne
12. Röntgen (2nd)
13. Vierne
14. Enescu (2nd)
15. Bridge
16. Boccherini
17. Schubert
18. Raff
19. Franck
20. Kiel (2nd)
21. Gernsheim
22. Martinů (2nd)
23. Bax
24. Jadassohn (3rd)
25. Foote 
26. Fauré (1st)
27. Rimsky-Korsakov
28. Toch
29. Juon (2nd)
30. Kiel (1st)
31. Elgar
32. Mozart 
33. Brahms
34. Hummel
35. Dvořák (2nd)
36. Klughardt
37. Dubois 
38. Webern
39. Borodin
40. Dohnányi (2nd)
41. Beethoven
42. Vaughan Williams
43. Reger (2nd)
44. Farrenc
45. Kirchner
46. Arensky
47. Rheinberger
48. Herzogenberg
49. Schumann
50. Magnard 
51. Bruch
52. Berger
53. Zarębski


----------



## Omicron9

pjang23 said:


> Some off-the-beaten track works. All of them masterpieces IMO.
> 
> Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet Nos. 1 & 2
> Bridge: Piano Quintet (1912)
> Hummel: Piano Quintet in E flat
> Bloch: Piano Quintet No. 1
> Beach: Piano Quintet


+1 on the Bloch and Bridge.


----------



## Quartetfore

Portamento said:


> I just made a thread in the Composer Discussion forum (here). There I ranked a bunch of piano quintets - here is the list:
> 
> 1. Schnittke
> 2. Schmitt
> 3. Pierné
> 4. Ornstein
> 5. Koechlin
> 6. Beach
> 7. Fibich
> 8. Shostakovich
> 9. Fauré (2nd)
> 10. Medtner
> 11. Vierne
> 12. Röntgen (2nd)
> 13. Vierne
> 14. Enescu (2nd)
> 15. Bridge
> 16. Boccherini
> 17. Schubert
> 18. Raff
> 19. Franck
> 20. Kiel (2nd)
> 21. Gernsheim
> 22. Martinů (2nd)
> 23. Bax
> 24. Jadassohn (3rd)
> 25. Foote
> 26. Fauré (1st)
> 27. Rimsky-Korsakov
> 28. Toch
> 29. Juon (2nd)
> 30. Kiel (1st)
> 31. Elgar
> 32. Mozart
> 33. Brahms
> 34. Hummel
> 35. Dvořák (2nd)
> 36. Klughardt
> 37. Dubois
> 38. Webern
> 39. Borodin
> 40. Dohnányi (2nd)
> 41. Beethoven
> 42. Vaughan Williams
> 43. Reger (2nd)
> 44. Farrenc
> 45. Kirchner
> 46. Arensky
> 47. Rheinberger
> 48. Herzogenberg
> 49. Schumann
> 50. Magnard
> 51. Bruch
> 52. Berger
> 53. Zarębski


I just had a look at your rankings of Piano Quintets, and I understand its a matter of taste. But ranking Schnittke,Schmitt, Pierne and Raff higher then Dvorak, Schumann and Brahms?


----------



## Quartetfore

Quartetfore said:


> I just had a look at your rankings of Piano Quintets, and I understand its a matter of taste. But ranking Schnittke,Schmitt, Pierne and Raff higher then Dvorak, Schumann and Brahms?


I should add that the Brahms, Schumann, Dvorak and the Franck are thought by many to be the greatest works of their kind at least of the 19th century.


----------



## Portamento

Quartetfore said:


> I just had a look at your rankings of Piano Quintets, and I understand its a matter of taste. But ranking Schnittke,Schmitt, Pierne and Raff higher then Dvorak, Schumann and Brahms?


Yeah, maybe I was a bit too generous there, but those quintets are by far my favorites. To be honest, I really don't care for the Brahms or much of Schumann's ouevre. That is just me. I know virtually every other music-lover will rip my judgement to shreds!


----------



## Quartetfore

Portamento said:


> Yeah, maybe I was a bit too generous there, but those quintets are by far my favorites. To be honest, I really don't care for the Brahms or much of Schumann's ouevre. That is just me. I know virtually every other music-lover will rip my judgement to shreds!


Not me, I don`t rip!


----------



## Quartetfore

There are several Piano Quintets composed by Italians late in the 19th century that are worthy of attention. Giovanni Sgambati wrote two very fine romatic works, and Guiseppe Martucci one. Sgambati also wrote a very fine string quartet, and Martucci two very enjoyable piano trios. Both composers were among a small number of those who composed Chamber Music---Opera was king in those days. Respighi composed a piano quintet, but it was an early work and gave no indication of what was to come.


----------



## Anankasmo

Look into Saint-Saens Piano Quintet! A mature and beautiful piece.


----------



## David Phillips

I always thought that Elgar's piano quintet might be turned into a good piano concerto, so when I saw that someone had orchestrated the piece I snapped up the CD. Big disappointment - no piano!


----------

