Quintet For Piano, 2 Violins, Viola And Cello In A Major, Op. 81: Allegro, ma non tanto
Quintet For Piano, 2 Violins, Viola And Cello In A Major, Op. 81: Dumka: Andante con moto
Quintet For Piano, 2 Violins, Viola And Cello In A Major, Op. 81: Scherzo (Furiant): Molto vivace
Quintet For Piano, 2 Violins, Viola And Cello In A Major, Op. 81: Finale: Allegro
Piano Quartet in E flat, Op 87: I. Allegro con fuoco
Piano Quartet in E flat, Op 87: II. Lento
Piano Quartet in E flat, Op 87: III. Allegro moderato, grazioso
Piano Quartet in E flat, Op 87: IV. Finale: Allegro ma non troppo
The venerable pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio joins the Emerson Quartet for two memorable performances. To the uncommon clarity and rhythmic drive of the string players, Menahem Pressler adds some of his own expansive perso... more »nality. The mix works beautifully. You can hear every note in the scores, and everything is played with great expression and enough rhythmic tension to keep the music flowing. If you don't know these gorgeous works, this is a great way to make their introduction; if you do know them, this superbly recorded disc will bring you gratifying new perspectives. --Leslie Gerber« less
The venerable pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio joins the Emerson Quartet for two memorable performances. To the uncommon clarity and rhythmic drive of the string players, Menahem Pressler adds some of his own expansive personality. The mix works beautifully. You can hear every note in the scores, and everything is played with great expression and enough rhythmic tension to keep the music flowing. If you don't know these gorgeous works, this is a great way to make their introduction; if you do know them, this superbly recorded disc will bring you gratifying new perspectives. --Leslie Gerber
"As stated elsewhere, the playing on this disc is superlative. But what would you expect from some of the finest chamber musicians of our generation? The music so interesting and exciting as to convince those who don't normally purchase chamber music to expand their collection.Here's the snag. The Emerson's violins sound very shrill here (like biting into a lemon), and I blame DG for this. With the technology available for modern digital recordings, DG should ensure the recording quality is commensurate with the level of playing. Again, the playing here is superlative. Shame on DG."
Consistent Emerson Quality
D. B. Rathbun | Washington, DC United States | 06/20/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The performances of these two pieces is flawless. The recording quality is very good for Deutsche Gramophon--well rounded, sonorous, not too brash and not the slightest bit lumpy. The music is simply beautiful. This is an essential chamber music entry into anyone's collection."
Lovely recordings
R. M Connors | Dedham, MA USA | 06/21/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Walk into the record departments of any music store in the land and you'll find the Dvorak section has 15 different versions of the "New World" symphony, a couple of Slavonic Dances, and not much else. Too bad, because his chamber music is plentiful and absolutely gorgeous. The two works on this recording by the Emerson Quartet are among the best, and the performances here are crisp, deep and rich. Highly recommended."
Desert Island Disk
R. M Connors | 06/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've had this recoridng for the better part of 10 years and return to it often. It's simply amazing. These are first rate chamber pieces played to pieces by outstanding muscicians. Rich, vibrant, soaring and firey are a few adjectives to describe this incredible coupling. Buy this disk!"
A beautifully played Dvorak program with charm and warmth
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 03/15/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I think the Amazon reviewer is right to point out that Menahem Pressler, who comes into this recording as an elder statesman (much as Leon Fleisher does for the Brahms Piano Quintet with the Emersons), bringing a broader, more relaxed way of phrasing. The Emersons adapt to him a good deal of the time. This is an expansive interpretation of the Dvorak Piano Quintet that isn't as driven, lean, and angular as one expects form them. At the same time, you quckly realize that the strings lead the performance. In his famous account with the Borodin Quartet (Philips), Sviatoslav Richter clearly dominates the proceedings. I wish Pressler had done more of that, but in any event this is an accomplsihed, successful reading with a charm and warmth I rarely find from the Emersons. In my experience there have been only a handufl of outstanding recordings of this beloved work, and this is the latest.
There re even fewer outstanding recordings of Dvorak's Piano quartet No. 2, one of his major chamber works and the one I would point to after the Piano Quintet as his most inspired. The work is built on the grand scale of Brahms's Piano Quartets, and from the first fiery allegro (it's marked Allegro con fuoco), Dvorak attains Brahms's propulsive sweep. The Lento that follows is gentler and more reflective than a slow movement form Brahms; it displays Dvorak's trait of lyric melanchily. The Scherzo is a lilting hesitation waltz with a considerable gypsy flavor sprinkled in. The Rondo finale is a bit subdued compared to what Brahms does at the end of his Piano quartet No. 1 and is, on the whole, not quite a crowning glory to the work. The Emersons and Pressler give a balanced reading that could afford more abandon and energy here and there, yet overall it's very fine.
BTW I didn't detect the serious sonic flaws that two other reviewers complain of. DG is in the habit of boosting the treble (reportedly because Europeans live in small apartments that tend to absorb high frequencies and cramp the sound), but the violin tone didn't sting my ears here."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1
