As you might guess
from the volume number, Brahms created
a considerable amount of four-hand piano
music. Much of this was for the purpose
of allowing a wider audience for his
large-scale works such as the four symphonies.
Although that original purpose has been
superseded now we have modern recorded
music, highly capable duet pianists
must surely treasure their availability.
Previous recordings have been sparse,
presumably reflecting doubt as to whether
people will want to listen to them in
favour of the "real thing".
I first dipped my toe in this - pleasantly
warm - water with Volume 14 but the
largest work there was the second piano
quartet. Now we have the last two symphonies
– a much greater test of viability,
and one that is passed convincingly
on this evidence.
Surprisingly, all the
symphonies have already appeared in
this series – in four hand versions
on one piano according to the back liner
of this disc. Unfortunately, searching
the Naxos website left me pretty confused
since, in the documentation for Volume
7 (8.554822), No. 3 (but not No. 2)
is stated to be in the version for two
pianos. The timings suggest that this
is a different performance to the one
recorded here and it would be unusual
to record exactly the same work twice
in a series. I haven’t heard that disc
but would presume that the documentation
for volume 7 is in error and that the
one piano version is performed there.
Certainly there is no doubt that the
performance in volume 15 is for two
pianos – the aural image is well-spread
– and I would imagine that two instruments
are better able to convey the symphonic
nature of the music.
The implication of
the above preamble is – if you are interested,
start here. And if you are a Brahms
lover, you surely should be trying this
out. These are performances of stature
which time and again will leave you
marvelling afresh at the music. Symphonic
Brahms for the piano is necessarily
fairly lean but all the notes seem to
be there and Matthies and Köhn
superbly convey the moods, missing none
of the grandeur or the mellow Brahmsian
glow. In matters of interpretation they
have had to make all the same decisions
as a conductor but there is little to
quibble with. In the Third Symphony
they take the exposition repeat and
tempi are perhaps slightly quicker than
in many orchestral versions but seem
well-judged. Tempi are pretty average
in the Fourth Symphony apart from in
the Scherzo which is taken faster than
I have heard it before. Tremendous excitement
is generated here – this is the track
to sample from the Naxos website if
you are unconvinced about the venture.
The seasoned collector
is likely to have more than one recording
of these works already. I was going
to write that they should surely add
this in preference to another orchestral
version then I remembered that the rest
of Marin Alsop’s excellent London Philharmonic
series - of which numbers 3 and 4 have
yet to appear - is already pencilled
in my forward planning. But at Naxos
price it is possible to have both. Presumably
the two piano versions of the First
and Second symphonies will also appear.
I will certainly want to hear them too.
Patrick C Waller
Silke-Thora Matthies, Christian Köhn
(pianos) 
