String Quartet in A major Op 41 No 3
Piano Quintet in E flat major Op 44

The peerless Takács Quartet, recently nominated for a Gramophone award for their second disc of Brahms’s string quartets, continue their feted exploration of the Romantic chamber music tradition with this disc of Schumann. The Piano Quintet in E flat major is by far Schumann’s most popular chamber work and one of the most beloved works in the genre. Schumann was the first romantic composer to pair the piano with the string quartet. It was written during the composer’s ‘chamber music year’ (1842) when, ‘in the first happiness of reunion with the piano, his creative imagination took on a new lease of life’ (Joan Chisell, Robert Schumann). Schumann had been studying the string quartets of Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn, and the String Quartet in A major Op 41 No 3 demonstrates these influences, but is written in a characteristic musical language and contains many highly original strokes, particularly the casting of the Scherzo as a set of variations. The Takács Quartet are joined by Marc-André Hamelin in an invigorating partnership that has already been widely acclaimed on the concert platform.

'Oustanding musicianship and virtuosity abound on this stunning disc … The sense is of true chamber interplay between five equals … The Hyperion sound is more spacious … and once again the Takács revel in the classical logic of Schumann's vision … That this disc simply gets better and better on repeated listening is ample recommendation' (Gramophone)

'Such an outstanding ensemble as the Takács … [A major quartet] Fabulous textural clarity, revealing just how imaginatively resourceful Schumann's writing is, and a special feeling for the troubled, nervous strands in his musical personality' (BBC Music Magazine)

'The Takács and Hamelin have just the right combination of tensile strength and lyrical ardour … The poise and quality of the playing is exceptional throughout … The Takács possess a poetry and fluency that make for very absorbing listening: this is compelling, concentrated quartet playing of very high quality … There are excellent notes by Misha Donat and both works benefit from wonderfully natural recorded sound. The result is a Schumann disc of great distinction' (International Record Review)

'Schumann's virtuosic Piano Quintet is one of the glories of the repertoire … The Takács and Hamelin, at once delicate and muscular, combine to spellbinding effect. The earlier String Quartet Op 41 no 3 is played with wistful tenderness' (The Observer)

'The verve of the Takács is irresistible, especially when the players are partnered in the Piano Quintet by Marc-André Hamelin … The heart quickens most when Hamelin's febrile fingers urge the strings ever further into the Quintet's special blend of turbulence, joy and nostalgia' (The Times)

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Recording details: May 2009; St George's, Brandon Hill, United Kingdom; Produced by Andrew Keener; Engineered by Simon Eadon; Release date: November 2009;