# Some chamber music classics - your recordings?



## joen_cph

Prompted by the recent Wagner thread

http://www.talkclassical.com/41010-how-many-rings-do.html,

here´s a similar one for some chamber music classics:

What recordings do you have? And maybe: what were the criteria? Partial answers allowed .

- *Mozart*: Clarinet Quintet
- *Beethoven*: String Quartet op.132
- *Schubert*: Trout Quintet
- *Brahms*: Violin Sonata no.3
- *Debussy*: String Quartet
- *Shostakovich*: Piano Trio


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## TurnaboutVox

OK, I'll have a go. The Brahms and Mozart works excepted, I have had recordings of these since the days of LPs. I did get hold of a Penguin guide, which at that time was my only guide as I intrepidly went forth to Scotland's record shops.

- Mozart: Clarinet Quintet
Quatuor Mosaïques, Wolfgang Meyer (Naive) CD
To be honest, I've never liked this HIP rendition, which was widely recommended.

- Beethoven: String Quartet op.132
Quartetto Italiano (Philips) LP, CD
Quatuor Talich (Caliope) LP, CD
Endellion Quartet (Warner Classics) CD
Both the Italians and the Talich are very satisfying; the Talich are 'freer' and somehow more intimate, the Italians more orthodox. I stumbled on the QI's Beethoven recordings as a student before I knew anything about these works or the 'best' performances on record. I guess I got lucky. Same with the Talich Quartet's accounts which I started to buy when the QI's Op. 130+133 was not available. In those days I guess it was all down to the record shop owner's knowledge - in this particular store in Edinburgh one never seemed to go wrong. The Endellion Quartet's cycle I admire for the Op 18, Op 59 and Op 74 works, but theirs aren't profound readings of the late quartets, in my opinion.

- Schubert: Trout Quintet
Beaux Arts Trio, Rhodes, Hortnagel (Philips) LP
Wonderful. I have never seen the need to own another version!

- Brahms: Violin Sonata no.3
I have never owned a recording

- Debussy: String Quartet
Melos Quartett (DG) LP
Quartetto Italiano (Philips) LP
Belcea Quartet (EMI) CD
I like all three, but the Melos Quartet still strikes me as especially fresh and poetic. It got a 'rosette' in the old Penguin guide, as I recall. For sound quality, of course, the recent Belcea quartet recording is far superior.


- Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2
Beaux Arts Trio (Philips) LP
Borodin Trio (Chandos) LP
The Borodin trio just shades it here, with a particularly vivid account.


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## D Smith

These are the discs I just happen to have, I make no claims they are the best.

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet - Sabine Meyer the 1980’s recording, exquisite.

Beethoven Op 132 String Quartet. I have the Guarneri from the 60’s and the Tokyo. Love both for different reasons

Schubert: Trout - Andreas Schiff and the Hagen Quartet. Fantastic performance

Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3: I have 3 CD’s of this: Perlman/Barenboim, Mutter/Orkis, Kavakos/Wang. All are excellent but if I had to pick I’d go with Mutter.

Debussy: String Quartet. Alban Berg Quartet. Never felt the need to find another recording. Superb

Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2. I have the Beaux Arts which is great but really love the live version done by Martha Argerich, Maxim Vengerov, and Gautier Capuçon as well.


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## GreenMamba

Another vote for Beaux Arts Shostakovich Trio 2.

Talich Quartet does a great Beethiven SQ15, but I dare not enter a debate over who is best.


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## brotagonist

- *Mozart*: Clarinet Quintet

I don't have this in my collection yet. I have the Clarinet Trio and Concerto 

- *Beethoven*: String Quartet op.132

Amadeus Quartet: I spotted the complete SQs at a used record store and managed to trade some stuff I wanted to get rid of for this. I gloated about my haul all the way home 

- *Schubert*: Trout Quintet

1. Gilels, Amadeus Quartet (Brainin, Schidlof, Lovett, Zepperitz): I love the DG Originals series and this had very high reviews and was inexpensive, too.
2. Lubin, Academy of Ancient Music Chamber Ensemble: This HIP version was a serendipitous acquisition. I was looking for the Octet and found this nice 2-disc set with Hogwood and others. Great reviews for this inexpensive reissue, too.

- *Brahms*: Violin Sonata no.3

Zukerman, Barenboim: I had a list of works I wanted to flesh out my collection with a few years back and I spotted this one at a used record store for trade against stuff I was getting rid of. How could I argue? Nice choice: clearly a serious collector had passed on or switched formats or gotten a big box Brahms set.

- *Debussy*: String Quartet

I don't have this work in my collection yet. I have the three Sonatas and more.

- *Shostakovich*: Piano Trio 2

I don't have this work in my collection yet, either.

I've only started fleshing out my collection big time in the past 4 years. I have loads of stuff by all of those composers-chamber works, too!-but I can't have every piece, at least not in so short a space of time... and I've traded off all of the old rock albums I had committed for culling, so future acquisitions cost bucks now


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## GKC

Mozart, Clarinet Quintet: Tokyo quartet/Richard Stolzman (RCA CD)
Prazak quartet/Moragues (Praga SACD)

Beethoven Op. 132: Quartetto Italiano (Philips LP)
Tokyo quartet (RCA CD)

Schubert Trout: Haydn Trio Wien et. al. (Telefunken LP)
Martin Helmchen et. al. (Pentatone SACD)

Debussy quartet: Quartetto Italiano (Philips LP)
Prazak quartet (Praga SACD) (hey, don't forget Ravel's, which is the better quartet! ;-) )

Brahms Violin sonatas: Zuckerman/Neikrug (RCA CD)
Kelemen/Vasary (Hungariton CD)

Shostakovich Trio no. 2: Borodin trio (Chandos LP and CD)
Boston Chamber Music Society members (Northeastern CD)


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## jenspen

Nice thread!

Mozart Clarinet Quintet Berlin Soloists

Brahms Clarinet Quintet Berlin Soloists

Beethoven String Quartet Opus 132 Alban Berg Quartet

Schubert Trout Quintet Budapest String Quartet with Mieczylaw Horszowski and Julius Levine

Brahms Violin Sonata no. 3 in D minor Ha! I have a boxed set of 9 CDs - "Arthur Rubinstein plays Brahms" and Henryk Szeryng (just a name to me) is the violinist of the 3 sonatas. I've never listened to it - a project for tonight, thank you.

Debussy String Quartet? I have heard it on the radio but don't see it entering my collection though I love Debussy's piano works.

Shostakovich: Piano Trio 2. I don't know this but as I have just fallen in love with his Piano Quintet in G minor, this is something to look forward to.


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## TurnaboutVox

jenspen said:


> Debussy String Quartet? I have heard it on the radio but don't see it entering my collection though I love Debussy's piano works.


Mon Dieu! Pourquoi pas? C'est manifique, le quatuor à cordes de Debussy. Il devrait être obligatoire pour l'acheter!


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## jenspen

TurnaboutVox said:


> Mon Dieu! Pourquoi pas? C'est manifique, le quatuor à cordes de Debussy. Il devrait être obligatoire pour l'acheter!


Ah! mon brave, qui sait si, un beau jour, j'apprendrai l'aimer.

This discussion is now closed, fermé, for lack of French.


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## Mandryka

joen_cph said:


> Prompted by the recent Wagner thread
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/41010-how-many-rings-do.html,
> 
> here´s a similar one for some chamber music classics:
> 
> What recordings do you have? And maybe: what were the criteria? Partial answers allowed .
> 
> - *Mozart*: Clarinet Quintet
> - *Beethoven*: String Quartet op.132
> - *Schubert*: Trout Quintet
> - *Brahms*: Violin Sonata no.3
> - *Debussy*: String Quartet
> - *Shostakovich*: Piano Trio


The only one of these I can comment on with confidence is op 132.

To put criteria first, think of the emotional plan of the quartet. It begins with some terrible emotions, really nasty and full of trepidation. The second movement, with its short theme repeated over and over again is like some gnawing nagging worry. Everyone likes the third movement because it's so other-wordly, but Beethoven rejects its spirituality pretty conclusively: the fourth movement brings you straight back down to a very mundane world with a thump, and the central section reminds me of the terrible anxiety of the opening movement.

I don't know what to think about the jovial end, which seems prima facie as spurious as the vaudeville in Don Giovanni. And same for the Adagio molto. In context its tranquility is an illusion.

The Heiliger Denkgesang is saying that there is no peace. The quartet is the musical equivalent of Matthew Arnold's Dover Beach. Beethoven is telling is that there is no meaning.

The best performance of it I know is from The Fitzwilliam quartet. Followed by The Lindsays.


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## Guest

jenspen said:


> This discussion is now closed, fermé, for lack of French.


Pour moi it never opened!


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## Dr Johnson

Debussy: Chilingirian Quartet.

Shostakovich: The Borodin Trio.


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## Rhombic

Anton Reicha should be mentioned at some point. For those interested in Late Classicism / Early Romanticism, you will find his life quite interesting if you read a bit about him. Interesting man.


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## Ukko

joen_cph said:


> Prompted by the recent Wagner thread
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/41010-how-many-rings-do.html,
> 
> here´s a similar one for some chamber music classics:
> 
> What recordings do you have? And maybe: what were the criteria? Partial answers allowed .
> 
> - *Mozart*: Clarinet Quintet
> - *Beethoven*: String Quartet op.132
> - *Schubert*: Trout Quintet
> - *Brahms*: Violin Sonata no.3
> - *Debussy*: String Quartet
> - *Shostakovich*: Piano Trio


You didn't mention the Mendelssohn Octet. The "usual suspects".


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## TurnaboutVox

Ukko said:


> You didn't mention the Mendelssohn Octet. The "usual suspects".


Well, we could take a leaf out of Nereffid's book: there's quite a fertile field we could plough here for a while...


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## Vaneyes

*1 **Mozart: Clarinet Quintet - **De Peyer/Melos Ens. (EMI, rec.1964)**
1 Beethoven: String Quartet op.132 - ESQ (DG, rec.1995)
1 Schubert: Trout Quintet - Schiff/Posch/Hagen Qt. (Decca, rec.1983)
1 Brahms: Violin Sonata no.3 - Osostowicz/Tomes (Helios, rec.1990)
1 Debussy: String Quartet - Parkanyi Qt. (Praga, rec.2003)
1 Shostakovich: Piano Trio 2 - Trio Bolzano (Millennium Cl., rec.1960)*


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## joen_cph

As regards chamber music, I myself have mainly been intuitively accumulating some recordings, sometimes very cheap ones on offer, rather than for example reading reviews. The result is usually a somewhat varied, but not in any way specialist collection of the works. Quite often, I end up with a few recordings I really like, however.

*Mozart: Clarinet Quintet.* 
Haven´t found a recording I think is spot-on. The old Endres and Hübner ones have some of the playfulness I like, but poor sound.
-_ Fröst,Vertavo4/bis 03 sacd 1263 CD
- Michaels,Endres4/vox box svbx 548 LP
- Brymer,Allegri4/ph 6570 573 LP
- Hübner,Boskovsky,Wiener8/decca mono lxt 5032 LP
(+Campbell,Varsovia4/muzaa st sx2086 ; poor; due to the cover LP)
(+Luptacik,Slovak4/opus 78 9111 0606 ; poor; due to the cover LP)_

*Beethoven: String Quartet op.132*
Am fairly satisfied with having these, quite different from each other:
_- Yale4/brill 40cd 99093 CD + Vanguard LP vcs 10005
- HungStr4/emi 66 sls 85 LP
- Italian4/ph 2lp 6768 347 LP
- arranged for string orchestra: Tønnesen,CamerataNordica/bis 13 3cd 1096 CD_

*Schubert: Trout Quintet*
This is a piece that has a lot of possible nuances, and some collected LP covers have shown to contain fine, lesser known versions:
_- Schnabel,ProArt4/tim 35-01 10cd 205218-303 CD & emi 35-xx mono colh 40 LP
- Richter,Borodin4/emi 7243 572 567 28 CD
- Rouvier,Kantorow,soli/forlane 92 ucd 16676 CD
- Gilels,Amadeus4/dg 76 2530 646 LP
- Sawallisch,Endres4/parnass 78 66 926-7 LP
- Pozzi,Winterthur4/mms mono 39 (Cover: Antonucci) LP
- M.Paderewski m.fl./muza st sx2140 (Cover: Rugowska) LP
- Richard Laugs5/oryx st exp10 (Cover: L.Perry) LP_

*Brahms: Violin Sonata no.3*
Favourite here is Zordanazzo, in a quite eneven box wth the complete chamber music. He has a very "singing" and articulated rendition of the work, IMO.
_- Zordanazzo,Braslavsky/mond mus 3cd 98 mfcn10014 CD
- Isakadze,Alexeev/mel 80 c10 16167 008 LP
- Sitkovetsky,Davidovich/noval 87 150 019-1 LP
- Katchen,Suk/dec 70 sdda 561-569 LP_

*Debussy: String Quartet *
Favourites here are the Tokyo Quartet, also Melos.
-_ Melos4/dg 18cd 00289 479 0056 CD
- Kodaly4/naxos 89 855 0249 CD
- ViaNova4/erato stu 70613 LP
- Vlach4/sup mono sua 10063 LP
- Tokyo4/cbs 79 76824 LP _

*Shostakovich: Piano Trio*
Both these are quite fine, IMO.
-_ TrioTchaikovsky/il canale 88 cd u23 CD
- Zhukov,soli/mel c10 09537 07191 LP_



Ukko said:


> You didn't mention the Mendelssohn Octet. The "usual suspects".


Actually, the thought occurred of a series of maybe 5-6 threads on the subject, which would imply a somewhat better coverage of chamber music repertoire. Not sure people have the energy, however


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## Vaneyes

Ukko said:


> You didn't mention the Mendelssohn Octet. The "usual suspects".


I'll mention it for you--Nash Ens. @ Wigmore. :tiphat:


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## TurnaboutVox

joen_cph said:


> Actually, the thought occurred of a series of maybe 5-6 threads on the subject, which would imply a somewhat better coverage of chamber music repertoire.


Sorry, that's also what I was hinting at earlier, too obliquely.


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## Mandryka

joen_cph said:


> As regards chamber music, I myself have mainly been intuitively accumulating some recordings, sometimes very cheap ones on offer, rather than for example reading reviews. The result is usually a somewhat varied, but not in any way specialist collection of the works. Quite often, I end up with a few recordings I really like, however.
> 
> [
> *Schubert: Trout Quintet*
> This is a piece that has a lot of possible nuances, and some collected LP covers have shown to contain fine, lesser known versions:
> _- Schnabel,ProArt4/tim 35-01 10cd 205218-303 CD & emi 35-xx mono colh 40 LP
> - Richter,Borodin4/emi 7243 572 567 28 CD
> - Rouvier,Kantorow,soli/forlane 92 ucd 16676 CD
> - Gilels,Amadeus4/dg 76 2530 646 LP
> - Sawallisch,Endres4/parnass 78 66 926-7 LP
> - Pozzi,Winterthur4/mms mono 39 (Cover: Antonucci) LP
> - M.Paderewski m.fl./muza st sx2140 (Cover: Rugowska) LP
> - Richard Laugs5/oryx st exp10 (Cover: L.Perry) LP_


I just wonder whether you thought Richter/Borodin SQ was fine or less fine. One I like more I think is with another group of Russians: Maria Yudina and The Beethoven Quartet. There's also, if I remember right, a good one with Georg Demus and I forget who - New York Pro Musica maybe.


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## Lukecash12

I'm sad to say that the only recording of Debussy's String Quartet is by the Keller Quartet, courtesy of Apex. It is a fine recording, though, I would highly recommend my friends here to give their "assez vif et bien rythmé" a listen.


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## joen_cph

Mandryka said:


> I just wonder whether you thought Richter/Borodin SQ was fine or less fine. One I like more I think is with another group of Russians: Maria Yudina and The Beethoven Quartet. There's also, if I remember right, a good one withGeorg Demus and I forget who - New York Pro Musica maybe.


Richter' s has a quality of broadness and symphonic scope, but I miss more nuances and playfulness, found for example with Kantorow. A Yudina recording sounds very interesting, I haven't heard it, no doubt it is worth checking out.


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## shadowdancer

Nice list!
Here what I have (the most played):

1) Mozart Clarinet Quintet








2) Beethoven Op 132








3) Schubert Trout D 667








4) Brahms Violin Son #3








5) Debussy String Quartet








6) Shostakovich Piano T3


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## joen_cph

The mentioned Yudina/Schubert Quartet recording is also on you-tube 
- and there´s some unusual stuff going on in it (25:25 onwards, including the start of the Finale, for example)  :


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## Balthazar

*Mozart: Clarinet Quintet:* Jack Brymer with the Allegri Quartet

*Beethoven: String Quartet op.132:* Takács Quartet is my most played.

*Schubert: Trout Quintet:* Current favorite is Thomas Adès with the Belcea Quartet.

*Brahms: Violin Sonata No.3:* Zukerman and Barenboim.

*Debussy: String Quartet:* The recent recording by the Quatuor Ébène.

*Shostakovich: Piano Trio:* The Live from Lugano recording with Martha Argerich, Maxim Vengerov, and Gautier Capuçon.


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## fluteman

Mozart CQ - Oppenheim / Budapest SQ (or Brymer / Allegri); Beethoven op. 132 - LaSalle, Juilliard; Schubert Trout - Curzon / Budapest SQ; Brahms - Szeryng / Rubinstein; Debussy - Tokyo SQ; Shostakovich - Borodin.


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## Grizzled Ghost

- Mozart: Clarinet Quintet
Martin Frost et al, on BIS

- Beethoven: String Quartet op.132
Takacs Quartet, Decca

- Schubert: Trout Quintet
Braley, Capucon, Causse, Capucon, Posch; on Virgin

- Brahms: Violin Sonata no.3
Nikolaj Znaider & Yefim Bronfman; RCA

- Debussy: String Quartet
Quatuor Ebene; on Virgin
also Melos Quartett; on DG

- Shostakovich: Piano Trio
Argerich, Kremer, Maisky; on DG


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## JosefinaHW

I was not familiar with this, either. Amazon Prime has two recordings to listen to free: Kodaly Quartet and Orchestre de la Radiodiffusion francaise, Orchestre Conservatoire de Paris, Quatuor Calvet, Joseph Calvet

Debussy String Quartet

and many versions of Beethoven 132; I am now listening to the first on the Prime list, The Emerson Quartet


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## Mandryka

JosefinaHW said:


> I was not familiar with this, either. Amazon Prime has two recordings to listen to free: Kodaly Quartet and Orchestre de la Radiodiffusion francaise, Orchestre Conservatoire de Paris, Quatuor Calvet, Joseph Calvet
> 
> Debussy String Quartet
> 
> and many versions of Beethoven 132; I am now listening to the first on the Prime list, The Emerson Quartet


The Calvet Quartet recording of the Debussy is a great one.


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## Xaltotun

Mozart Clarinet Quintet - Grumiaux Quartet + Pieterson (not an expert, not sure how much I like it)
Beethoven String Quartet op. 132 - Alban Berg Quartet (not an expert, but can safely say I like it)
Schubert Piano Quintet "Trout" - Beaux Arts Trio + Rodes + Hörtnagel (I know a few Trouts and this one I really like!)


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## TurnaboutVox

*- Brahms: Violin Sonata no.3 in D minor, Op. 108*
Although (as above) I don't have a recording, I did recently listen to this on Spotify, which I thought was clearly articulated and quite attractive.
Linus Roth (violin) and José Gallardo (piano) [Challenge Classics, 2011]


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## bz3

- *Mozart*: Clarinet Quintet: Boskovsky/Wiener Oktett
- *Beethoven*: String Quartet op.132: Quartetto Italiano
- *Schubert*: Trout Quintet: Schiff, Hagen Quartet
- *Brahms*: Violin Sonata no.3: Perlman/Ashkenazy
- *Debussy*: String Quartet: Melos Quartet
- *Shostakovich*: Piano Trio: Don't have it and don't know it, I'll use this thread to rectify that


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## PeterF

Mozart Clarinet Quintet
Frost / Vertavo
Neidrich / Juilliard

Beethoven String Quartet Op.132
Tokyo
Lindsey

Schubert "Trout" Quintet D.667
Curzon / Weiner Oktett
Peter Serkin / Schneider / Tree / Doyer / Levine
Rudolf Serkin / Laredo / Naegele / Parnas / Levine
Beaux Arts Trio + 2

Brahms Violin Sonata No.3
Suk / Katchen
Szeryng / Rubinstein
Stern / Bronfman
Perlman / Ashkenazy
Csaba / Heisser


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## Selby

I'm not going to list all of the recordings I own of these pieces, but my current 'go-to' recordings, meaning, these are the recordings I am currently reaching for, not necessarily the 'best' or even most iconic:

*Mozart: Clarinet Quintet*
_Quatuor Mosaiques & Wolfgang Meyer_
This is, simply, one of my favorite records. Of all recordings. Period. I love it. I've played it so much that when my son hears the opening he groans and says "Not Wolfy. Noooooo. I don't want to fall asleep!" Asleep, boy? This is vital, invigorating charm. Silly child.









*Beethoven: String Quartet op.132*
_Emerson String Quartet_
Not really much to say here. I just love this cycle from them. I realize it is not to everyone's taste, but it has stayed in my rotation for years. Due to only getting 5 pictures on this post, I'm not going to add a picture here - everyone knows what it looks like 

*Schubert: Trout Quintet*
_Lewis, Mitchell, & Leopold String Trio_
A fun and well recorded recent release.









*Brahms: Violin Sonata no.3*
This was my second classical music purchase. It is imprinted upon me.
_Perlman and Ashkenazy_









*Debussy: String Quartet*
_Quartuor Ebéne_ in a program with Ravel and Fauré. It is my favorite performance of the Fauré, which is probably why the album gets a lot of play.









*Shostakovich: Piano Trio* 
Coupled with the eerie 7 Romances to Poems by Alexander Blok, this is a lesser discussed but highly charged and emotional performances of both pieces. Recommended.
_Melnychenko, Mangova, Prischepenko, & Klinger_


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## jegreenwood

First Post!

Mozart: Clarinet Quintet - I study clarinet (absolute amateur)
Berlin Soloists
Les Musiciens
Sabine Meyer et al
Pieterson/Grumiaux Quartet
Martin Frost/Vertavo
Harold Wright/Music from Marlboro
Thea King/Gabrielli

Beethoven: String Quartet op.132
Emerson String Quartet
Alban Berg Quartet
Tokyo String Quartet (2nd Cycle)
Vegh String Quartet

Schubert: Trout Quintet
Rudolf Serkin/Music from Marlboro
Beaux Arts Trio et al
Brendel/Cleveland Quartet
and on DVD Perlman/Barenboim/Du Pre/Mehta/Zuckerman

Brahms: Violin Sonata no.3
Perlman/Ashkenazy
Grumiaux/Sebok
Rubinstein/Ouziel
Edit - add Oistrakh from the EMI box. 

Debussy: String Quartet
Alban Berg Quartet
Chamber Music from Lincoln Center

Shostakovich: Piano Trio
None - need to correct as I like the piece


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## TurnaboutVox

Welcome to TalkClassical, jegreenwood. A nice selection of chamber music recordings for your first post.


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