This recording of the
well-known Brahms Clarinet Quintet,
one of his four great late-period clarinet
chamber pieces, is an old friend in
a new outfit. The performance has a
distinctively American, indeed West
Coast, sound. It shimmys in, Hollywood
in nature as well as in name, with a
jazzy feel sneaking in from time to
time.
Mostly I like this
incarnation, although at times I feel
it lacks the robustness I would welcome
in a more European approach to this
work which is after all German in origin.
At other times the lilting jazziness
works well, for example in the adagio
second movement, foreshadowing Benny
Goodman in its sound-world. As the work
draws gently to its close, one can see
a mental picture of a fading beauty,
still glamorous but withdrawn from the
limelight. The ending is not fierce
or dramatic but gentle. The music retires
peacefully to seek ultimate repose,
pausing briefly to take a final bow
in its closing chord.
I like this version,
but I would not want it as my only recording
of the work. I like Gary Gray's playing,
but the clarinetist I like best in this
work remains Gervase de Peyer - for
example paired with Mozart's Clarinet
Quintet in a 70th birthday recording
on Radiant Mastery (GDP 1003), although
this is not the most recent recording
available by any stretch. As an accompaniment
to the Dohnanyi, this recording is a
good bonus. As a second or additional
recording it is a distinct account of
definite merit and would be welcome,
particularly for those with an interest
in American music.
The Dohnanyi is an
interesting pairing stylistically speaking:
it is a less well-known work and less
easy to get the measure of initially.
Whilst on a bigger scale, not merely
in terms of one more instrument but
in being more statuesque and less intimate,
it remains somewhat diffuse. It is perhaps
interesting because it bridges the divide
between romanticism on the one hand
and modernism on the other.
The composer is the
grandfather of the conductor Christoph
von Donanyi. A conductor himself, as
well as a distinguished pianist he was
the teacher of Georg Solti and a champion
of the music of Bartók. He toured
extensively in Europe and the United
States and also lived for a time in
Argentina. This may shed light on this
work’s eclectic international style,
albeit one through which there is more
than the occasional glimpse of the composer's
Hungarian roots.
The musicianship is
to match, with glissandi strings.
The piano part is played in a light
and romantic style, which works well,
particularly in the second, intermezzo
- adagio movement. The clarinet
is less in the foreground than in the
Brahms, being a more even-handed team
member rather than a quasi-soloist,
although there is a nice opener for
it in the third, allegro movement.
The horn then enters firmly and distinctly,
bringing focus and urgency, which come
as something of a relief to the listener.
Although the music mellows out melodiously
from this point, a certain firmness
remains within the lyricism making this
in my opinion the most balanced of the
movements. It recalls at times Brahms'
Second Symphony. The lively finale draws
the various strands of the work together
for a well-rounded conclusion.
The work, which in
its own right is good but not outstanding,
would mainly be of interest to those
with a particular interest in the development
of the Hungarian musical tradition,
or those who want to take a thorough,
if not completist, approach to clarinet
chamber music. The Brahms Quintet is
a good pairing, but is unlikely to be
the first or only recording of this
work a collector would want, unless
they especially favoured American musicianship.
Those interested in American performance
and music might want to consider this
as an alternative the forthcoming release
from Challenge, which pairs the Brahms
quintet with a chamber arrangement drawn
from Bernstein's West Side Story.
The disc is therefore mainly of interest
to those with specialised interests
and collections rather than the general
classical music listener. The latter
would in my opinion be better to spend
their money on Deutsche Grammophon's
boxed set (474 3582) of Brahms' chamber
works including the clarinet quintet,
now available at a very reasonable price.
Julie Williams
Gary Gray (clarinet); Richard Todd (horn); Robert
Thies (piano); New Hollywood String Quartet 
for
details
