Robert Schumann - Piano Quintet (1st movt - Allegro brilliante)
By Ryan Davies
Among the works in the piano quintet repertoire, Schumann’s piano quintet stands out as one of the finest pieces of chamber music written in the 19th century, and is still very popular today. This performance takes place at the 2007 Verbier Festival in Switzerland, and is played by world-renowned international solo artists - Renaud Capuçon and Sayaka Shoji (violins), Lars Anders Tomter (viola), Mischa Maisky (cello) and joined by Hélène Grimaud (piano). A video of this performance can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krj5vKnYk-0
The opening of the movement was very majestic, played by the whole ensemble, exploiting the strong sound of the medium of the piano quintet. The romantic second subject is introduced by the cello, and then the viola who then exchange each phrase as if it were one voice. Maisky and Tomter do a fine job at this – the beginning and the end of each entry is seamless, as if being played by one instrument. The repeat of the exposition was played with even more intensity than the first time. Capuçon’s beautiful sound, especially in the high register floats over the top of the ensemble, and Shoji added the extra colour to fill in the texture. Grimaud’s performance was technically and musically very proficient, however maybe slightly excessive body movements could be distracting to the audience.
In terms of ensemble, the balance was flawless – each instrument was solo-like, yet blended very well with each other. The melodies flowed in and out of each other effortlessly in the almost contrapuntal textures of some parts. It was unclear why Grimaud was dressed in white, while her colleagues were dressed in black, but this mere detail didn’t take away from the brilliance of the music. A very colourful and powerful performance with a plethora of emotions none the less.