# Schumann Piano Trios / Quartets / Quintets



## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

Fav recordings of Schumann chamber music? Been listening to the DG box forever, looking for something new.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

The set I have with *Eric La Sage* is apparently out of print.
*It includes all the chamber music by Schumann which has a piano part somewhere in it.* (So no string quartets etc.):
Is it good? I don't know I rarely listen to Schumann, but it was praised by critics when it first came out.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

The Florestan Trio are great with Schumann. There’s also a good Naxos disc with the Schumann and Brahms piano quintets.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

Bwv 1080 said:


> Fav recordings of Schumann chamber music? Been listening to the DG box forever, looking for something new.


Which DG box do you have?


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

Ras said:


> Which DG box do you have?


https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4778816

Hagen Qt and Beaux Arts Trio for the chamber music


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Try to hear the New Music Quartet, there was a release recently with the recordings remastered very well.

Apart from that, did you see this which I posted here a few weeks ago?


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## Chatellerault (Apr 4, 2017)

Pires for the quintet (DG), Argerich for both the quartet and quintet (Warner or EMI boxes). They both play with assembled musicians, not a regular trio/quartet.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Bwv 1080 said:


> https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4778816
> 
> Hagen Qt and Beaux Arts Trio for the chamber music


The Le Sage set is outstanding, and has excellent sound, which helps. They're scratch ensembles, not really used to playing together, but that has both advantages and disadvantages. Anyway I think you won't be sorry to hear their chamber music CDs.

If the only piano quintet you have heard is the one with Gulda and Hagen you're in for a surprise because what they do is unique.


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## TheCoctor (11 mo ago)

Thanks for the Le Sage recommendation. Sounds terrific.


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## Helgi (Dec 27, 2019)

I have the Faust/Queyras/Melnikov series from Harmonia Mundi (piano trios coupled with concertos w/Freiburger barock). Very happy with those, but I haven't listened to many (or any) other recordings of the trios for comparison.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

I don't know the LeSage but it seems good and received very good reviews.

Hagen, incl. quintet is very good but a bit "extreme". The Juilliard Quartet made a great recording of the quartets but I think one has to order from Japan (I have heard it from an LP transfer years ago). I also like their piano quartet and quintet with Gould and Bernstein although they are probably not first recommendations. Cf. the "Weekly string quartet" for some comments on the A major and maybe the quartets in general.
Lots of good recordings of the piano quintet (probably together with the first trio the only Schumann chamber piece covered well in historical/mid-20th century interpretations).

Florestan trio is very good in Trios + piano quartet. A gem (not included by Florestan) is an arrangement for Trio of the canonic studies that has been recorded by several trios (e.g. Altenberg-Trio, Wien).

Mixed stuff with piano can be found also in often lively and interesting interpretations from live concerts around Argerich (sometimes Rabinovitch or someone else plays piano and there are several different boxes (EMI, Warner) with different recordings)

Kremer/Argerich (DG studio) Violin sonatas (no #3 or f-a-e, though)

Woodwind (romances, fantasy pieces) and other shortish pieces with piano: Nash Ensemble (Hyperion)


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Helgi said:


> I have the Faust/Queyras/Melnikov series from Harmonia Mundi (piano trios coupled with concertos w/Freiburger barock). Very happy with those, but I haven't listened to many (or any) other recordings of the trios for comparison.


I was going to mention these but was glad to see that you already had.

:tiphat:


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Kreisler jr said:


> I don't know the LeSage but it seems good and received very good reviews.
> 
> Hagen, incl. quintet is very good but a bit "extreme". The Juilliard Quartet made a great recording of the quartets but I think one has to order from Japan (I have heard it from an LP transfer years ago). I also like their piano quartet and quintet with Gould and Bernstein although they are probably not first recommendations. Cf. the "Weekly string quartet" for some comments on the A major and maybe the quartets in general.
> Lots of good recordings of the piano quintet (probably together with the first trio the only Schumann chamber piece covered well in historical/mid-20th century interpretations).
> ...











I had this on cassette, now on CD. It includes transcription of the pieces Schumann wrote for clarinet and other instruments.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

I strongly prefer to have the oboe, clarinet, horn pieces for their original/main instruments (although some work with alternatives).
Apparently Australian eloquence combined the Holliger Romances with Decca recordings (mostly Ashkenazy on piano). The Nash CD I meant is ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007BJOLS0 (I don't think the music is as dark or erotic as the cover suggests...)
Unfortunately it does not contain the strange andante+variations op.46 but one gets all the other "odd" short pieces together:


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Kreisler jr said:


> I strongly prefer to have the oboe, clarinet, horn pieces for their original/main instruments (although some work with alternatives).
> 
> . . . .


That's OK. I actually prefer the on clarinet, as that was the instrument I played.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

It's all purely subjective but regardless of whether you like their previous recordings you might try the latest Emersons for the most consistently excellent complete set of the string quartets in much better sound than DG ever gave them.









If you want something different and fancy period performances for the SQ cycle then the Terpsycordes are well worth trying and that set shows up fairly often and cheaply on the secondhand market.









The Takacs are pretty special for their SQ3 and with Marc Andre Hamelin for the Piano Quintet op.44 too and it's a shame the Zehetmair only recorded string quartets 1 and 3 as that disc is excellent, too (not pictured).









For the complete piano trios the Trio Wanderer are very impressive but I've not heard all the competition (yet)









And finally, even though there are a number of highly rated recordings of the Violin Sonatas (that I've not done comparisons of) this ECM recording from Widmann and Varjon is really impressive. I was lucky enough to pick this up in a group of budget discs I bought from a private seller (£1 each). Bargain at 10x that amount!


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