Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 & Clarinet Quintet

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Just when people were beginning to suspect that performing Brahms' chamber music was a lost art, along came the Prazák Quartet with clarinetist Pascal Moragués to prove them wrong. In this 2006 recording of Brahms C minor String Quartet and B minor Clarinet Quintet, the Prazák turns in performances that are the very ideal of Brahms' chamber music playing. They're hard-hitting -- listen to the drive in the quartet's opening Allegro -- but warm-hearted -- listen to the tenderness in the following Romance -- melancholy -- listen to the yearning tone in the following Allegretto -- but assertive -- listen to the closing Allegro. Even better is the Prazák's quintet. Not only does it have all the virtues of the quartet, but it has the added magic of Moragués' melting tone, soulful phrasing, and enthralling interpretation. Old timers may look back with fondness to Brahms' recordings by the Budapest, Végh, or Italiano quartets, but even the crustiest old timer will have to admit that these performances belong in that company. Plus, Praga's super audio sound is not only as clear as the Italiano's stereo Philips recording and as warm as the Végh's monaural Decca recording, but it is vastly more vivid than either.
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