Works for String Quartet

Advantages: Great music, great performances
Disadvantages: Unfamiliarity

...I’ve loved the Piano Quartet since first hearing it on R3. Written at Oxford as a teenager it is an astounding (and humbling) creation, which betrays its creators years if you can mentally re-score sections, such as the opening of the last movement, for a rock band – those pounding chords and short motifs are heavy-metal rifs for piano and strings! The ‘rock’ turns into ragtime at the end – not sure if that’s progress but it’s definitely fun! The rest of the disc will not disappoint – except for the teenager’s complaint (mine!) that it’s not loud enough!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: dynamic and gripping
Disadvantages: none

...Fantastic to have another additional collection of all five of Beethoven's piano concerti. Spanning his life we can really get to grips with his evolving use of the orchestra in these works. From the Third's action packed finale to the Fourth's beautiful expressions to the grandeur of the much loved Fifth. The playing is precise, dramatic and full of energy; as indeed it should be. Aimard's playing is always well crafted and beautifully shaped. This is an insightful disk and has taken the musicians an awful lot of hard work. A must-have for any lover of Beethoven's piano music. If you usually go for his chamber music or string quartets why not branch out and explore Aimard's wonderful take on these concerti? Well worth buying and indeed an inspiration for myself and other pianists alike.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: many
Disadvantages: none

...Very fine cd. D'Indy's String Sextet may be a bit pale as a composition, but the Violin Sonata is a wonderful work that is unjustly neglected. As far as I know this is the only recording ever made, apart from an old one by Henri Temianka and Doris Stevenson. This sonata is named "academic" or "overly intellectual", but this is simply not true. It satisfies the mind as well as the emotion, and that is surely the case in this fine and idiomatic recording by Marietta Kratz and Caroline Weichert. It dates from 1994 and I hope it to be still available. The Piano Quartet by the young D'Indy is a worthwile addition. I strongly recommend this wonderful disc for the repertoire as well as the playing.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful