Four Hand Piano Music 6
Before the phonograph, arrangements for piano with four hands were the only way most people had of hearing orchestral music. Brahms made his own versions of his symphonies, giving them at least some potential academic validity as listening experiences. The imaginative and resourceful playing of Matthies and Köhn takes the music much further. They thoroughly understand the symphonic structure and the emotional weight of the music, and they play with such tonal and dynamic variety that they turn this piano arrangement into a gripping experience. TheTriumphlied, a large-scale but obscure choral work, sounds less bombastic in this arrangement than in its original form, but it is still not one of Brahms's masterpieces and probably won't invite repeated hearings. But for those interested in a new perspective on familiar Brahms, superbly performed, this disc offers a fascinating experience.--Leslie Gerber