# Piano Quintet



## fireflyinjuly (May 13, 2017)

Last week, I attended a private performance of Dvorak's Piano Quintet (no 2) which i really enjoyed.

The programme notes (very brief) mentioned that this is one of the three most significant Piano quintets ever composed - I haven’t a copy of the programme so the wording isn’t verbatim.

So I am left wondering what are the other two!

Thank You.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

My guess would be the Brahms Op. 34 and Schumann's Op. 44.
Those along with the Dvorak are the first 3 works that come to mind when I think of piano quintets.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I'd guess four might be considered -- Schubert (the Trout), Schumann, Brahms, and Shostakovich. The choice of two from among these would be pretty arbitrary, I think.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

I'd want Schnittke's on that list as well (which is incidentally paired with Shosty's on a fine Naxos recording with the Vermeer Quartet).

Edit: I'm also addicted to Faure's--but what can you do when the op only asked for 2? :lol:


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Another heavy hitter is Mozart's k.452, although it uses winds rather than strings so it may not count here.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

The top three are probably Schumann, Brahms, and Dvorak.

But other popular ones include Faure, Dohnanyi, Shostakovich, Harbison . . .


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I'd guess that Schubert's effort is the most popular of the bunch, Dvorak's included.


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## Guest (Dec 4, 2017)

The top three would be the Schubert, the Schubert, and the Schubert. 

Brahms, Schumann, Dvorak are all tied for fourth.


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## jimsumner (Jul 7, 2013)

Schubert's Trout Quintet does deviate a bit from the standard instrumentation of piano plus string quartet.

So, an asterisk there.

Otherwise, the Schumann, Brahms, Dvorak and Shostakovich tower over all the rest, IMO.

I have no idea how any of these four could be left off any big three list.

So, it's a big four for me.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Not sure there is really a "standard" instrumentation for a piano quintet with strings. In Schubert's case, Wiki says he wrote it for a concert by a group coming together to play Hummel's piano quintet, which also uses a double bass. No complaints from here! Well, at least on that account...


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

Wouldn't be surprised if Franck's utterly magnificent one was in mind. It's really, really good.


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## fireflyinjuly (May 13, 2017)

Thank you for your comments.

I will now listen to the suggestions and buy the relevant CD’s.

My favourite piano composition is Brahms Piano Concerto 2 - so looking foward to the Brahms Quintet in particular.

Coincidently, I attended a charity function this evening and a lady’s parting comment to me was “you should really try Schumann”
so I will start with his quintet.Can anybody recommend any further Schumann music?

Thank You.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

Personally I would think Brahms, Schumann, and Schubert Trout would be those top three, but choosing just two, I would go with Brahms and Schumann.


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

jimsumner said:


> Schubert's Trout Quintet does deviate a bit from the standard instrumentation of piano plus string quartet.
> 
> So, an asterisk there.
> 
> ...


Don't forget Elgar!


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

fireflyinjuly said:


> Thank you for your comments.
> 
> I will now listen to the suggestions and buy the relevant CD's.
> 
> ...


His symphonies (1, 2, and 4 especially) and Op. 11 grand sonata are all worth checking out.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

There are plenty of unknown piano quintets that deserve to be here:

Suk, Gouvy, Taneyev, Weinberg, Bloch (both), Martinu (both), Atterberg, Bax, Bartók, Novák, Vierne, Sibelius, Elgar, Bruch, Saint-Saëns, Raff, Ries.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

MusicSybarite said:


> There are plenty of unknown piano quintets that deserve to be here:


Great list! 
Plus the Gabriels: 
- To clarify earlier posts: Gabriel Faure wrote two late piano quintets: D minor, op. 89; and C minor, op. 115. (But I prefer his two piano quartets, in C minor and G minor.)
- And then there is Gabriel Pierne's great, long, wild piano quintet . . .


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## Guest (Dec 5, 2017)

fireflyinjuly said:


> Thank you for your comments.
> 
> I will now listen to the suggestions and buy the relevant CD's.
> 
> ...


If your favorite piano composition is a Brahms Piano Concerto, try the Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor. I like the recording by Helene Grimaud.


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## David Phillips (Jun 26, 2017)

Tchaikov6 said:


> Don't forget Elgar!







The slow movement is gorgeous!


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## fireflyinjuly (May 13, 2017)

Jerome said:


> If your favorite piano composition is a Brahms Piano Concerto, try the Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor. I like the recording by Helene Grimaud.


Yes thank you - I will definitely listen to this one.

Merry Christmas.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Current number of recordings for each of the following piano quintets:

Dvorak, op. 81 - 44
Brahms, op. 34 - 63
Schumann, op. 44 - 80
Schubert - Trout - 97
Shostakovich, op. 57 - 38
Schnittke - 9
Faure - op. 89 (11), op. 115 (13)
Dohnanyi - op. 1 (6), op. 26 (5)
Harbison - 1
Franck - 24
Elgar - 7
Pierne - 3

Recordings on the market having some connection to popularity, it appears that the Trout is no. 1. Someone mentioned that the Harbison piano quintet was popular - might be wrong about that.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

fireflyinjuly said:


> Last week, I attended a private performance of Dvorak's Piano Quintet (no 2) which i really enjoyed.
> 
> The programme notes (very brief) mentioned that this is one of the three most significant Piano quintets ever composed - I haven't a copy of the programme so the wording isn't verbatim.
> 
> ...


I think the program notes were somewhat incomplete as there are quite a number of significant piano quintets.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

DVORAK had a piano quintet opus 5


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

And apart from all the other worthy ones mentioned here, I'll put in a word for the Vaughan Williams quintet, an early work that deserves to be played more:


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## Orpheus (Jul 15, 2012)

Coleridge-Taylor, a composer on whom Dvorak is considered a major (perhaps the primary) influence, wrote a still overlooked, but surprisingly accomplished piano quintet while still in his teens:


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