Brahms G minor Piano Quartet

Anybody like the recording of the Brahms G minor Piano Quartet with the chamber group Domus as much as I do? It's on Virgin. What's your favorite recording?

-david gable

I love Domus but for some reason I didn't care for their Brahms set as much. I think my favorite is still the Beaux Arts set from the 60s, even over the Rubinstein/Guarneri which I find does not quite have the fire of the Beaux

I remember that I bought it in 1991 for a music appreciation class. I've always liked it and the accompanying C minor quartet, but it's only been within the last year or two that I've become really taken with this disc after more careful listenings, I think. But then this is the only recording I have.

Is Domus still around?

Not AFAIK. I believe they disbanded to pursue their own separate careers. The Florestan Trio is made up of at least Stott and perhaps the cellist as well (can't remember).

I like Domus, too. My favorite recording is Aller / Hollywood. (All three of the Piano Quartets are included in their 3-CD Brahms / Schumann box on Testament). I also like the set by the Quartetto Beethoven di Roma on Dynamic. It is an excellent ensemble that includes the violinist Felix Ayo and the pianist Carlo Bruno. And I wish that someone with access to Russian sources would reissue the excellent set of the Piano Quartets by Luba Edlina + Dubinsky, Shebalin, and Berlinsky (once available on Melodiya LP, but never officially issued in the West, afaik). Terrific performances.

says...

That one and the Rubinstein/Guarneris top my (short) list.

Paul Goldstein

The Chandos issue of the later Borodiners with Edlina is excellent too, though I can't compaare them to the LP Alan refers to.

Paul Goldstein

I have the Perahia and members of the Amadeus quartet (one wonders what his means - how many of the original?) which is quite wound up and to my liking. It is on the sony music for you series which has included the rhapsody in e-flat, capriccio in b minor, intermezzo e-flat and rhapsody b minor. Packaged as an 'intermezzo' series, I got mine for a budget price.

Have this ensemble done he whole set of piano quartets? What your favourite complete set? How is the MA, STERN, LAREDO and AX ?

For me the Domus recording doesn't compare with the best. My favorite may be the Menuhin Festival Piano Quartet's. If not, it's the hot and richly characterized Gilels/Amadeus. I also very much like the Edlina/Dubinsky et al that Alan mentions. Oddly enough, there's another Russian LP of the same three Borodin Qt members with Bashkirov. This has some fantastic things in it, but also at times an offputting cold and stolid aspect.

I like this one (Ax et. al.) very much. The c-minor (#3) is particularly fierce.

Yours,

My favorite recording is the one in the set of complete piano quartets by the Cantilena piano quartet on Arabesque. I have no idea if it's still available.

I found the Rubinstein/Guarneri disappointing in relation to all the praise it receives (dull sound matched by dull playing by Rubinstein; as is usual, IMO, with his Brahms). The Domus and Beaux Arts are good central sets. What I like about the Cantilena set is the extremely close recording combined with a sponaneity in the phrasing of the string players which is not matched by any of the other sets I heard.