Seasoned Reger enthusiasts will greet a disc coupling his A minor String Trio and Piano Quartet in D minor with eagerness and hope for the best. The string trio is an atypically light and witty work for the Bavarian fin de siècle composer, but the piano quartet is full-tilt Reger at his most vehemently expressive and structurally massive, so while any fan of late Romantic chamber music could enjoy the trio, only the most dedicated of the composer's admirers would assert they enjoy the quartet. Thankfully, the performances ...
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Seasoned Reger enthusiasts will greet a disc coupling his A minor String Trio and Piano Quartet in D minor with eagerness and hope for the best. The string trio is an atypically light and witty work for the Bavarian fin de siècle composer, but the piano quartet is full-tilt Reger at his most vehemently expressive and structurally massive, so while any fan of late Romantic chamber music could enjoy the trio, only the most dedicated of the composer's admirers would assert they enjoy the quartet. Thankfully, the performances here by the German Aperto Piano Quartet prove equally effective in both pieces. The strings' strong attacks and crisp releases, along with their ability to sustain the long line, count for a lot in the trio, and the addition of the pianist's rich sonorities augment the power in the quartet. Whether this forcefulness enhances the work's hyper intense opening Allegro moderato or central Larghetto is open for debate, but one cannot deny the passion the Aperto's players bring to...
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Add this copy of Reger: Complete String Trios and Piano Quartets, Vol. 1 to cart. £26.24, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Naxos.
