Chamber music: if I tell you what my favourite piece is, could you recommend me some other things I might like?

[Molesworth]

I'm looking to discover some new pieces of music for my collection - any suggestions based on the things I already like?

All time favourite is Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2. I've got a few other Shostakovich chamber works but none of them light my fire like that one does.

Also like all of Schubert's chamber works. String quintet and Death and the Maiden quartet are my favourites.

Have an itchy itunes trigger finger - any recommendations gratefully received.

This week, I have been mostly hearing Andras Schiff doing Beethoven piano sonatas. I have listened to the tiny incipient rivulet bit of the adagio of no.3 about 40000000 times.

Last month, I was mostly doing Brahms piano concertos.

Prior to that, it was Schumann.

Death and the Maiden at the Wigmore in a fortnight, hurray.

I don't know the Brahms piano concertos at all, but you've reminded me that I like the cello sonatas Bink

I could do worse than to get hold of the Beethoven string quartets. Ashamed to say I don't know them at all

I too love everything you have mentioned - so you may like these as well - some in a similar vein, others a bit different....Beethoven triple concerto; bach cello suites; vivaldi piccolo concerto; philip glass symphonies; arvo part spiegel im spiegel; berlioz symphonie fantastique; beethoven 7, beethoven 5, mozart requiem. enjoy!

I love Bartok's string quartets, especially 4 and 5.
The piece that made me fall in love with Bartok first however was the Sonata for solo violin played by Krysia Osostowicz on a Hyperion recording.

Dvorak 'American' quartet if you like the Schumann. and maybe the Debussy & Ravel string quartets too

Shostokovich ROCKS. second the Bartok String Quartets. and Contrasts (violin, clarinet, piano, think I have that same recording that Gracelo mentions).

now I'm trying to steer you towards wind stuff but what about the Brahms Clarinet Quintet?

MrsJC is it this one:

www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDH55149

I just remembered that it was the very first gift I got from dp and it is still one of my favourite items in my CD collection.

There's a Shostakovich Piano quintet that I like when I play it - I also like playing the Elgar Piano quintet, the Brahams, Dvorak and Faure piano quartets... (this is based on the fact you like piano trio and music of around a similar period!)

There's loads of really nice wind chamber music.

I have a CD of Nielsen wind chamber music which is fab (Bergen Wind Quintet + others on the BIS label).

Also have 2 other wind chamber music CDs, both on Gala label. One is Debussy/Saint-Saens, the other is Ravel/Poulenc.

There are also some great wind chamber music pieces by Dvorak and Mozart, oh, and Brahms clarinet sonatas (you can tell I play the calrinet, can't you?? )

Janacek string quartets - entirely fabulous

Brahms sonatas are better on viola than clarinet!

No! NO! NOOOO!!!

Much better on clarinet!

Katisha - definitely. I performed one of them and had a clarinetist say to me that she'd never really understood it until she came to hear me!!!!!

May not have helped if your clarinettist friend had heard me play them, but we are still right!

thank you all for these suggestions

Shosty bloody well DOES rock doesn't he?

Already know and love some of the pieces mentioned (Ravel String Quartet, Berlioz, Mozart Requiem obviously)

Fancy the idea of the Bartok and Janacek stuff

Forgot to mention I'm also v keen on piano music - Liszt B minor sonata and Brahms Hungarian Dances, Schubert Impromptus, anything by Chopin.

Let us know if you liked the Janacek, Molesworth!

Will do

Anyone familiar with the Prokofiev quintet?

Molesworth - that's why I was suggesting piano quartets and quintets... The Prokofiev quartets are both lovely. OOOOHHhhh and the Braham 6tets (not good for driving in the car, much too easy to speed excesively when listening to those!!!)

I like the Russian folk/Klezmer sort of sound in Shostakovich's stuff, so any suggestions for music of that ilk would be particularly appreciated

Shosta's piano concertos are really lovely, although not chamber music but concertos on a smaller scale and really yummy.

Just wondering, Shosty Piano Trio No 2 fans - which recording(s) do you have?

the Brahms sonatas were written for clarinet, in fact for a particular clarinettist (Richard Muhlfeld) and they sound much better on the clarinet

now molesworth if you like the klezmer/russian stuff then I think you'll like the BArtok Contrasts. (yes it is that recording Gracelo, with lovely Michael Collins). Clarinet is, of course, VERY klezmer. THe Prokoviev Overture on Hebrew Themes (clt, piano, stg qt) is fabby and so are any of the quintets etc. (I love Prokoviev). you might also like the Rimsky-Korsavkov Quintet. and there's other Shost stuff which has Klezmer quotes in it too.

and for completely off the wall, you might like the Messaien Quartet for the End of Time (clarinet, violin, cello, piano)

and piano stuff. I'm presuming you know the Schubert Impromptus? there is lots of cool Russian stuff for piano, like the Rach preludes, the Kachaturian Toccata, oooooh loads.

NO NO NO The Brahms sonatas are for clarinet not horrid squeaky violas < ducks as viola players throw rotten tomatoes!>. Sacrelidge to play them on anything else.

Schubert Impromptus (opus 90 are my favourites) are lovely.

The 5 bagatelles by Gerald Finzi are absolutely scrummy (fellow clarinetist somuchtobits !)

I also love Vaughan WIlliams- (Theme and Variations on a Tale of Thomas Tallis is my all time favourite- very relaxing and uplifting)

Another vote for Janacek string quartets - especially "Intimate Letters". Amazing, haunting, passionate. They have many of the qualities that also make me love Death and the Maiden.

I would also recommend Prokofiev's Sonata No. 2, Op.94bis in D Major

(the Prokofiev sonata I mentioned above is for the violin accompanied by piano)