Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor K478 [23.49]
Gustav MAHLER (1860-1911)
Piano Quartet Movement in A Minor [10.46]
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor Op 25 [36.52]
Skride Piano Quartet
Baiba Skride (violin), Harriet Krijgh (cello), Lauma Skride (piano),
Lise Berthaud (viola)
rec. 2018, Sendesaal, Bremen, Germany
ORFEO C946191 [71.27]
The Skride Quartet (which includes sisters Baiba and Lauma Skride) was formed in the autumn of 2016 and this is their first recording together. All four members have their own high-profile solo careers but they came together because of their passion for chamber music. All three works in this recording were arranged or completed posthumously. Schoenberg’s orchestration of the Brahms Piano Quartet, made in 1937 is still regularly performed and was turned into a ballet by George Ballanchine.
Mozart’s G Minor Piano Quartet is the first major work composed for these instrumental forces in the chamber music repertoire. It came into being as a result of a commission which the composer received in 1785 from the publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister. The Skride Quartet bring weight and depth of tone, and rich Romantic colouring to Mozart’s dark textures. They succeed in charting a middle course between rich Romanticism and Classical refinement in this most original of works. The scales, runs and ornaments are all exquisitely executed and the interplay between all four members is lively and tight. The slow movement comes across as more of an Andantino than an Andante and is a little too fast. Having said that the playing is rapt and beautiful with the players creating gorgeous arabesques with Mozart’s intricate passagework. The sparkling finale is delightful, full of rhythmic vitality and zest, and phrases are passed seamlessly between Lauma Skride and her string partners.
Brahms wrote his G Minor Piano Quartet between 1856 and 1861 and it received its first performance in Hamburg in 1861 with Clara Schumann at the piano. It is one of the monumental works of the chamber music repertoire and there are many fine recordings. The Skride Quartet certainly hold their own against some stiff competition. They conjure up rich symphonic sonorities in the opening movement. There is a clear sense of structure and the musical argument is sustained well. All four players combine to bring out the underlying drama in this movement and there are wide dynamic contrasts. My only quibble relates to the tempo which is a little fast; the movement does not have the grand sweep that one hears in other performances. In the intermezzo there is excellent rapport between piano and strings as the melody is driven along against the throbbing accompaniment. There is some interesting exploration of inner voices in Brahms’ dense textures. The quicksilver trio is played with refinement and flair.
The slow movement opens with nobility of purpose and the Skride Quartet bring weight and depth to Brahms’ rich textures. The transformation of the second theme is impressive, as the exuberant dotted rhythms become weightier and more expansive. The gypsy zingarese finale is one of the most virtuosic madcap movements in the chamber music repertoire. The Skride Quartet start off at a steady pace and gradually build momentum as they go along. The coda is one of the most adrenaline-fuelled jaw-dropping pieces of playing I have heard in a very long time.
The other work on this generous recording is Mahler’s Quartet movement in A Minor which was written when the composer was a student. The manuscript was lost at one point but rediscovered by Alma Mahler in the 1960’s. Martin Scorcese used the music in his film Shutter Island. The Skride Quartet capture the broad sweep of the piece and there are some powerful climaxes. Baiba Skride’s heady violin solo towards the end of the movement is a voluptuous piece of playing.
This is an auspicious debut recording from the Skride Quartet. They are up against stiff competition in both the Mozart and the Brahms Quartets. Lewis and the Leopold Trio produce a more rounded, better integrated performance of the Mozart Piano Quartet. Perahia and the Amadeus Quartet and Angelich and the Capuçon brothers offer more persuasive accounts of the Brahms. Having said that, there is certainly much to admire in these very fine performances.
Robert Beattie
