Search - Johannes Brahms, Christian Kohn, Silke-Thora Matthies :: Brahms: Four Hand Piano Music, Vol. 4

Brahms' Two Serenades Done Right!

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 01/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
I prefer this realization of Brahms' two Serenades to almost any other recordings on the market--and I don't think there are too many out there anyway....



The Serenades work well for piano 4-hands, and Matthies & Kohn do a great job.



Sound is fine."

Contrapuntal clarity

Mithrandir | Massachusetts | 03/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These four-hand transcriptions by Brahms of his early orchestral serenades are simply a delight. While the decay of piano tone has the potential durationally to distort melodic lines, that is not a problem with these skillful transcriptions and sparkling performances. The counterpoint, so integral to the enjoyment of Brahms's music, is very clearly delineated. I wouldn't say the piano texture is superior in that regard to the original, merely different, and allows the listener to notice things that might be submerged in an orchestral performance. Both pianists, who appear to have studied in the very location where Brahms composed these serenades, perform beautifully.



Highly recommended."

Brahms's Exquisite Serenades as Pianistic Jewels

Hexameron | 10/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Purists may snub this Naxos series that features Brahms's orchestral, choral and chamber music presented as piano four-hand arrangements. But I couldn't think of a more valuable and meaningful project than to record Brahms's own piano duet versions of such quality works as the Serenades. For pianophiles like me, it is a boon to have recordings of Brahms's orchestral music performed by an adept and passionate duo like Matthies and Köhn. However, it is important for any potential buyer to acknowledge that these arrangements do not pretend to rival the original versions, although I could make a strong argument that they often do. Brahmsians seeking to gain further intimacy with his works should be ecstatic over these four-hand piano arrangements, which are Brahms's own and not the careless product of mediocre publishers.



Brahms's two serenades are early works (Op. 11 and 16) and tend to be neglected in favor of the symphonies. Although Brahms struggled to finish his first symphony, his serenades are evidence that he was quite capable of doing so even by 1860. These are masterful works for orchestra with harmonic richness, melodic potency, and emotionally stirring expressivity. Even without the orchestra, the music content is vibrant and delivered with dynamism and conviction by the Matthies and Köhn duo. If one did not hear the First Serenade in its original form, one might consider this arrangement an original piano work from Brahms's pen. The influence of Beethoven in each of the six movements is clear, yet Brahms's expressive stamp and craft is always in the forefront. Matthies and Köhn perform with an agreeable tempo, passion, control, and produce admirable interpretations. I am particularly impressed with their lyrical command and profound rendition of the third "Adagio" movement. The recapitulation of the second theme is a moment of sublimity of sound well-suited to the piano.



One anonymous critic called Brahms's two serenades "brother and sister": the D major being the brother because of its masculinity and scoring for full orchestra; the A major for its thinner texture and Serenade-like melodic writing. The Second Serenade is also shorter than its predecessor but still a captivating work of drama, beauty, and optimism. Matthies and Köhn play with appropriate musicality and technical coordination. They proudly exhibit genuine cheer in the first and second movements. But in the third "Adagio" movement, they demonstrate how powerful and sonorous the piano is. I find no fault with Matthies' and Köhn's executions, which are not merely runs through bare-bones arrangements, but fully fleshed-out compositions that Brahms could have originally written for the piano medium.



Bottom line: George Upton in his 'Standard Concert Guide,' writes, "The two serenades are dignified, massive works, constructed in the sonata style, every movement precisely formal and classic, and of such length and general fashion that it is unlikely either of them will ever be heard under a fair one's window or sound to the tinklings of guitars or the jinglings of castanets." Maybe not, but they are pianistically effective and resound with beauty and force through the nuanced registers and timbre of the piano."