by Chang Tou Liang

The completists at Naxos have struck again! When the first volumes of Johannes Brahms’ four hands piano music were released in the late 1990s, the “usual suspects”- Hungarian Dances, Waltzes, Sonata in F minor, Haydn Variations and Schumann Variations - were duly rounded up and listened to, garnering generally favourable reviews from this source. Later came the four hands arrangements of orchestral works, which I knew existed but very few pianists ever bothered to record – the four symphonies, two serenades and the First Piano Concerto (I have the Dover score but no one to play it with!). But honestly, does anyone really need A German Requiem for four hands but no voices?

Now come the chamber works in their four hands guise. Straight off, if you are string player, you will see absolutely no reason ever to hear the piano versions of all three string quartets and both string quintets (and sextets, if they exist). The music is the same but the piano just cannot bring out the qualities that make string music so wonderful – the vibrato, sostenutos and occasional portamentos. However, if you enjoy music for its harmony, form and structure, there is still a place for these recordings.

This is not forgetting the fact that these four hands versions were originally meant for the consumption of amateur piano players (there were lots of these before the advent of radio, televisions, VCRs and DVDs) in the comfort of their homes. If getting to know Brahms better were a singular purpose (and especially if you did not play a string instrument), these would have served their function pretty well.  

But how do they sound? The three string quartets fare least well simply because of the relative spareness in the textures. The slow movements just don’t really hold the attention that the string versions normally do. Tremolos on the piano are just not the same as tremolos or sustained notes on strings. The faster and dance movements come off better but tend to have a more percussive quality. The extra voice in the string quintets (the viola) allows for a richer sound, and this is reflected in the four hands versions. This will explain why the quintets were more enjoyable listening. Now I wonder how the sextets would sound!

Volume 12 is slightly different, as the four hands for the Piano Quartet No.1 and String Quintet No.2 are spread on two pianos. What would be impossible on a single keyboard (because of spatial limitations) is now possible on two keyboards. Thus Piano Quartet No.1 on two pianos is similar in configuration to that of the Sonata in F minor Op.34b (aka Piano Quintet), that is one piano being allocated the original piano part (the lucky fellow!) and the other representing combined strings. This is highly enjoyable music – whether in the original version or in Schoenberg’s overblown orchestration – so it sounds good on two pianos as well.

Although the German duo of Matthies and Köhn are to be commended for their diligence and musicality in these performances (and the entire Brahms cycle thus far), I just cannot imagine sitting through an entire concert of this music on piano. Contrast this with an entire evening of Brahms String Quartets (on strings, of course), which would be a rare treat. Of the 23 movements spread over three discs, only the Hungarian-flavoured finale of Piano Quartet No.1 could possibly make it to a two pianos programme. The duo plays it with much panache and relish, but even then it would be regarded as some sort of an oddity!

For the inveterate collector, die-hard pianophile and interminably curious, these discs are self-recommending.

 

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