Brahms generally brought
out his instrumental compositions in
four hand piano arrangements as well
as their ‘original form’. The piano
was his own instrument, of course, and
he became particularly adept at making
the transcriptions seem the most natural
thing in the world.
These arrangements
of the first two string quartets are
certainly successful in making the music
sound spontaneous with a natural balance
and flow. However, such accomplishment
should not be taken for granted since
the string quartet groups an ensemble
of legato instrument, whereas the piano
is a percussion instrument, the very
opposite. No wonder the music sounds
as though it was conceived with this
new delivery in mind.
Silke-Thora Matthies
and Christian Köhn make an effective
team, and the recording, while not the
most atmospheric, is adequate enough
to do justice to the music. What is
most pleasing of all, perhaps, is the
way that the performances gain a real
sense of momentum in the faster outer
movements. The details of texture are
well articulated, and there is always
a strong sense of purpose.
The slow movements
are the most challenging for the piano
duo combination, since this is when
the legato line is missed the most.
Here too the performances are never
less than satisfactory, but it is in
the Adagio (the slowest tempo of all)
that the strings are missed. Whether
a more carefully prepared performance,
or a different interpretation, might
have brought greater insights is an
open question. Not that there is much
wrong here, just that the concentration
does not quite hold across the ambitious
nine-minute span.
With good Naxos documentation,
as ever, this rewarding disc will give
much pleasure and will convince most
listeners that the music works perfectly
well in this format.
Terry Barfoot
Silke-Thora Matthies; Christian Köhn
(piano) 