Antonin Dvorák: Piano Quintets

Track Listings

1. Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Allegro, Ma Non Tanto

2. Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Dumka: Andante Con Moto

3. Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Scherzo (Furiant): Molto Vivace

4. Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Finale: Allegro

5. Piano Quintet, Op. 5 in A - Allegro Ma Non Troppo

6. Piano Quintet, Op. 5 in A - Andante Sostenuto

7. Piano Quintet, Op. 5 in A - Finale: Allegro Con Brio

Tracks:

I: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II: Andante Sostenuto
III: Finale: Allegro Con Brio
I: Allegro, Ma Non Tanto
II: Dumka: Andante Con Moto
III: Scherzo: Furiant - Molto Vivace
IV: Finale: Allegro

Dvorák: Piano Quintets in A, Opp. 5 & 81

Average customer rating:

Indispensable accounts of two Dvorak quintets, early and late

Dvorák: Piano Quintets in A, Opp. 5 & 81

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E2SR
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Customer Reviews:

Indispensable accounts of two Dvorak quintets, early and late.......2005-12-18

Tracking down the best recordings by Sviatoslav Richter--one can choose presently from about 160--can be a snakr hunt; he was shy of the studio and was often caught in live performances with indifferent sound. This doubling of a very early Dvorak piano quintet with the familiar Quintet Op. 81 comes from a live concert at the Prague Festival in 1982. Richter never missed a summer there, and usually the Czech engineers captured him in adequate to good sound.

Here the sound is very good considering the source. The piano is warm and full, without clang or edginess. The Borodin Quartet are in good balance with the pianist. Of course these are extraneous details. The central fact is that Richter was a genius, and every note he plays here is riveting. He isn't in his near-violent mode but very lyrical and relaxed. The early quintet is all coltish charm, hinting at Dovrak's later melodic gifts.

They are fully evident in the great later quintet, which here opens slowly and reflectively. This approach works because of Richter's skill at shaping a line, and the Borodin sound comfortable, though one shouldn't expect perfect intonaiton from the two violinists. The second movement Andante con moto is taken much slower than marked (the first two movements take three times longer than the last two). But Richter knows how to manage extremely slow tempos, and we are drawn in by his every phrase. (The slowness of this movement is the only thing that makes me not want this performance as my only Op. 81, though.) The Scherzo fairly flies by, but not the finale, where Richter plays with more overt drama than anywhere else.

All in all, a somewhat eccentric but compelling performance. Five stars for a great artist.

Average customer rating:

You'll get what you pay for--a letdown
The performances and recordings disappoint
Op. 1 is a wonderful work, performly wonderfully

Dvorak: The Complete String Quintets
Alfred Malecek , Rudolf Hartmann , Rainer Zepperitz , Peter Steiner , Giusto Cappone , Ferdinand Mezger , Stephen Bishop Kovacevich , and Berlin Philharmonic Octet
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Antonín Dvorák: Complete Piano Trios
Dvorák: The String Quartets
Rachmaninov: His Complete Recordings
Grieg: Complete Piano Music / Einar Steen-Nkleberg
Shostakovich: Complete Concertos

ASIN: B00000HY8J
Release Date: 1999-01-12

Tracks:

String Quintet In A Minor, Op. 1: 1. Adagio - Allegro ma non troppo
String Quintet In A Minor, Op. 1: 2. Lento
String Quintet In A Minor, Op. 1: 3. Finale. Allegro con brio
String Quintet In G, Op. 77: 1. Allegro con fuoco - Piu mosso
String Quintet In G, Op. 77: 2. Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Trio. L'istesso tempo, quasi allegretto
String Quintet In G, Op. 77: 3. Poco andante
String Quintet In G, Op. 77: 4. Finale. Allegro assai
String Sextet In A, Op. 48: 1. Allegro moderato
String Sextet In A, Op. 48: 2. Dumka. Poco allegretto

Tracks:

String Sextet In A, Op. 48: 3. Furiant. Presto
String Sextet In A, Op. 48: 4. Finale. Tema con variazioni: allegretto grazioso, quasi andantino
String Quintet In E Flat, Op. 97: 1. Allegro non tanto
String Quintet In E Flat, Op. 97: 2. Allegro vivo
String Quintet In E Flat, Op. 97: 3. Larghetto
String Quintet In E Flat, Op. 97: 4. Finale. Allegro giusto
Piano Quintet In A, Op. 81: 1. Allegro, ma non tanto
Piano Quintet In A, Op. 81: 2. Dumka. Andante con moto
Piano Quintet In A, Op. 81: 3. Scherzo. Furiant. Molto vivace
Piano Quintet In A, Op. 81: 4. Finale. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

You'll get what you pay for--a letdown.......2004-04-10

Philips' "twofer" CD releases include some genuine bargains, classic performances at budget prices, such as Colin Davis' 1966 "Messiah." At first glance this compilation seems like a contender, with two and a half hours of some of Dvorak's most beautiful chamber music, along with lesser-known but equally worthy works, performed by an ensemble with a famous name, along with a distinguished guest artist, pianist Stephen Kovacevich.

In the event, only Kovacevich's beautifully shaped contribution to the Piano Quintet, Op. 81 lives up to expectations. The other performances are uniformly marked by scrappy, out-of-tune playing and thin, shrill tone from the members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet. It's hard to tell how much of the acoustic stems from the actual performances, how much from the possibly poor sound of the original analog recording, and how much might be due to the CD transfer. It doesn't really matter. Better, if more expensive, versions of all of these pieces are available on CD, particularly of the delightful Quintet in E-flat and Piano Quintet. Spend a little more and get performances that will stand the test of time, as these have not.

The performances and recordings disappoint.......2000-12-19

This inexpensive two CD set presents four wonderful Dvorak quintets and one sextet. I own the original Philips LP performances of the piano quintet and a late string quintet. The string players did not attain those idiomatic Czech cross rhythms and phrasing required for my fullest listening pleasure. The fine piano performance of Stephen Kovacevich (he was known as Stephen Bishop on the LP) was closer to this ideal. Unfortunately, serious sonic flaws of the LP persist on the CD. The upper register of the violins remains thin and unpleasant, and the balance between the strings and piano levels in the opus 81 quintet is not good. The piano sound is far too dominant. My suggestion is to look elsewhere for recordings that better capture these beauties of Dvorak.

Op. 1 is a wonderful work, performly wonderfully.......1999-02-04

I first heard this version of the Sextet and Quintet in a, op. 1, years ago on vinyl. I immediately fell in love with both pieces. The Op. 1 Quintet is a work that shows the depths of Dvorak's chamber ability. It is not just a work that foreshadows Dvorak's great late string quartets, but one that stands alone, with passionate slow passages that match Schubert's late string quartets, but a vocabulary totally of Dvorak's own.

I have not yet heard the interpretation of the other two sextets offered here, but as interpeters of Dvorak, the Berlin Philharmonic Octet members have proven themselves completely on the first two pieces. The pieces themselves are among Dvorak's best compositions, wonderfully moody and completely accessible.

Tracks:

Piano Qunitet In A, Op.81: I: Allegro ma non tanto
Piano Qunitet In A, Op.81: II: Dumka: Andante con moto
Piano Qunitet In A, Op.81: III: Scherzo (Furiant): Molto vivace
Piano Qunitet In A, Op.81: IV: Finale: Allegro
Piano Quintet In E Flat, Op.44: I: Allegro brillante
Piano Quintet In E Flat, Op.44: II: In modo d'una marcia
Piano Quintet In E Flat, Op.44: III: Scherzo (Molto vivace) & Trios I & II
Piano Quintet In E Flat, Op.44: IV: Finale: Allegro ma non troppo

Customer Reviews:

Intense performances dominated by the strings.......2005-12-18

These readings of the Schumann and Dvorak piano quintets come from live concerts, the Schumann from Carnegie Hall (1995), the Dvorak from Vienna (1993). Both are dominated by the Alban Berg Quartet, who seemed to have only two modes, impressively intense and frighteningly intense. Fortunatley, they aren't firghtening in the Dvorak, which proceeds at middling tempos without fireworks. Rudolf Buchbinder is placed forward, but in terms of expressivity he's no match for the ABQ. One longs for a superlative pianist here, yet Buchbinder is nowhere less than very good. The second movement Andante could be more tender; the last two movements are buoyant and fresh. Overall, one could be satisfied with this as a first choice.

Philippe Entremont seems an odd musician to pair with the ABQ--it's a bit like a Parisian boulevardier out walking his four Dobermans. The engineers have put both piano and strings in the same sonic picture, neither overshadowing the other. Generally the pianist leads in this work because of Schumann's prefernce for the instrument, but here again the ABQ are musically more intense than Entremont. I must say, however, that he rises to the occasion. I was listening to him as mainly an accompanist, but he makes many points along the way, and the ABQ accommodate by reining in their fierceness in the Scherzo and finale. A superb reading overall, though it would have been nice, as in the Dvorak, to have a genius like Richter at the keyboard. Five stars.

Average customer rating:

Dvorák: Piano Quintets, Opp. 5 & 81

Manufacturer: Praga Czech Rep.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000077W8F
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Average customer rating:

An incredible finding !

Dvorak: Piano Quintets Op. 5 and 81

Manufacturer: Russian Revelation
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006BB2
Release Date: 1998-04-21

Tracks:

Quintet For Piano And Strings In A, Op.5 (B28): Allegro ma non troppo
Quintet For Piano And Strings In A, Op.5 (B28): Andante sostenuto
Quintet For Piano And Strings In A, Op.5 (B28): Finale (Allegro con brio)
Quintet For Piano And Strings In A, Op. 81 (B155): Allegro ma non tanto
Quintet For Piano And Strings In A, Op. 81 (B155): Dumka (Andante con moto)
Quintet For Piano And Strings In A, Op. 81 (B155): Scherzo (Furiant : Molto vivace)
Quintet For Piano And Strings In A, Op. 81 (B155): Finale. (Allegro)

Customer Reviews:

An incredible finding !.......2004-12-29

Before these historic recordings were released for this label . I had in my personal collection the Piano Quintet Op. 81 played by Rudolf Firkusny accompanied for The Julliard Quartet as the best available reference.
A precognitive sensation of triumph came to my mind when I saw this work in the CD store. Even I bought without any reserves .
The result was simply overwhelming .
Richter made a sublime tour de force with this Quintet . Furiously played but without lacking the sense of the exquisite refinement and panache.
The Borodin Quartet was forced literally for this incandescent pianist to make one of their most expressive recordings .
The slave flavour must be underlined beneath the score . And nobody as the astonishing capacity of Richter to create this suggestive atmosphere.
Acquire this gem recording as soon as you can.

Average customer rating:

Dvorák: Piano Quintets Op. 5, Op. 81

Manufacturer: Arte Nova Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Pno Qnt Op.5 in A: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Pno Qnt Op.5 in A: Andante Sostenuto
Pno Qnt Op.5 in A: Finale: Allegro Con Brio
Pno Qnt Op.81 in A: Allegro Ma Non Tanto
Pno Qnt Op.81 in A: Dumka. Andante Con Moto
Pno Qnt Op.81 in A: Scherzo (Furiant). Molto Vivace
Pno Qnt Op.81 in A: Finale: Allegro

Average customer rating:

Schumann, Brahms: Piano Quintets

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000274CN
Release Date: 1990-01-01

Average customer rating:

Antonin Dvorák: Piano Quintets

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000E6LR
Release Date: 1992-01-28

Tracks:

Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Allegro, Ma Non Tanto
Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Dumka: Andante Con Moto
Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Scherzo (Furiant): Molto Vivace
Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Finale: Allegro
Piano Quintet, Op. 5 in A - Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Piano Quintet, Op. 5 in A - Andante Sostenuto
Piano Quintet, Op. 5 in A - Finale: Allegro Con Brio

Average customer rating:

Czechs Do It Best 2, The Sequel
The Czechs do it best !

Dvorak: Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000JH2P
Release Date: 1994-07-26

Customer Reviews:

Czechs Do It Best 2, The Sequel.......2004-11-23

Mr. Lee has got the straight of it. There is no chamber music that, in sheer beauty, compares to Dvorak. And the Op. 81 Quintet stands very near the pinacle of his genius. And the Panocha Quartet are truly sublime. (In general, if the chamber group is Czech, you can't go wrong. The Prazak, Takacs, Skampa, Talisch, Suk, Guarnari Prague...all splendid. My brother was in Prague for 10 days last summer and he said, after walking a block, he was black and blue from bumping into music cases. There were literally chamber performances somewhere in the city from about 10 AM to 10 PM every day he was there.) I used to share Mr. Lee's opinion of the Op. 5 Qnt. until I was out in the Mojave at sunset after a rainstorm with the CD player cranking the Prazaks and Ivan Klansky through the headset. The last 40 seconds or so of the first movement of the Op. 5 are among the most gloriously triumphant, life-afirming moments in any music. I was literally dancing in the wet sand. I have every recording of these pieces I have been able to find and this recording is among the best. The best, in my opionion, include the aforementioned Prazak version, the Richter/Borodin Qt. (yes, they're Russians, but it's a live performance in Prague) and the Panochas again with Andras Shiff which substitutes a killer interp of the OP. 48 Piano Qt. for the Op. 5 Qnt. If you are not familiar with the Panochas or Dvorak's chamber works, you're in for a treat. If you have experienced either and don't have this disc, buy it now. There will be a quiz.

The Czechs do it best !.......2003-09-20

When it comes to chamber music there is no other composer who, for me, matches the level of spiritual satisfaction and pure joy I get from Dvorak. On this disc, featuring his two piano quintets, pianist Jan Panenka and the Panocha Quartet provide the kind of performances that cannot be faulted in any significant manner. The earlier opus 5 (No.1) Quintet sounds more like Beethoven than Dvorak himself. The former composer's influence is expressed with characteristic seriousness, especially in the middle and final movements. Despite fine execution, however, as a complete musical product, this piece lacks the marvelous melodiousness of Dvorak's more mature opus 81 Quintet. My lesser opinion of it comprises the sole factor responsible for my overall four star rating. Albeit, the later Second Quintet is given a splendid reading that is both sensitive and vital. The opening movement is quite tuneful, with some especially nice piano playing. But it is the second movement that is the centerpiece of this charming work. At the start, the mood is briefly pensive. The musical shades soon lighten to reveal some of Dvorak's most endearing melodies. There is a wonderfully sympathetic melding of strings, cast in golden tones. Pianist Panenka's occasional trills add to the movement's lyrical idiomatic flavor. The sense of pleasure spills into the lovely third movement. There are alternate expressions of playfulness and tenderness. There are also moments when the players convey noble sentiment. The final allegro projects a vernal freshness, and after a momentary visit from one of those wonderfully reflective melodies of the composer, it closes with a flourish. If you enjoy Dvorak's chamber music, I think you will find yourself very pleased with this disc.

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1. Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Allegro, Ma Non Tanto
2. Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Dumka: Andante Con Moto
3. Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Scherzo (Furiant): Molto Vivace
4. Piano Quintet, Op. 81 in A - Finale: Allegro
5. Piano Quintet, Op. 5 in A - Allegro Ma Non Troppo
6. Piano Quintet, Op. 5 in A - Andante Sostenuto
7. Piano Quintet, Op. 5 in A - Finale: Allegro Con Brio