Unlike many 19th century composers who entrusted piano duo transcriptions of their chamber and orchestral works to “house” arrangers at various publishing companies, Johannes Brahms took it upon himself to do such a task. After all, Brahms was a formidable pianist in his own right, and he made sure that his arrangements were as idiomatic, as effective, and as skillfully laid out for keyboard as possible. You get almost none of the thick doublings, endless tremolos, and sundry registration miscalculations that render other four-hand arrangements impractical to play and fatiguing to hear.
Brahms transcribed all four of his symphonies for one piano, four hands, as well as arranging the Third and Fourth symphonies for two pianos, four hands. The piano duo of Adrienne Soós and Ivo Haag have recorded the two-piano Third and Fourth arrangements, filling out the cycle with the four-hand First and Second. Their decision makes sense, since the two-piano genre allows greater physical flexibility in navigating Nos. 3 and 4’s contrapuntal complexities. Furthermore, they approach all four arrangements as if they were newly discovered Brahms piano sonatas, building the sonority from the bottom up with bass lines to the fore. Soós and Haag also prove slightly more impulsive than the Matthies/Köhn duo on Naxos, allowing for spontaneous accelerations of pulse in the heat of the moment, such as at the outset of No. 2’s Finale and No. 1’s first-movement development section, along with a little more metrical leeway in No 4’s Passacaglia.
Yet there’s much to be said for Matthies/Köhn’s pinpointed articulation and leaner, more transparent textures at times. For example, the latter pianists brilliantly clarify the rapid filigree in No. 3’s Finale that emerges less distinctly in the Soós/Haag recording. Likewise, Matthies and Köhn bring more crispness and definition to their detaché phrasing and balancing of lines in the third movements of Nos. 1 and 2. But one cannot ignore Soós and Haag’s undeniable ensemble unanimity and Telos’ warm, full-bodied sonics.
Although my recommendation leans toward Matthies/Köhn, Soós and Haag do Brahms’ arrangements full justice. Also note that the Soós/Haag performances can be sourced individually as downloads. In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears peeled for the first volume in a projected Brahms cycle from Da Vinci featuring pianists Massimiliano Baggio and Corrado Greco. Their fervent and sophisticated duo work in Symphony No. 1 signifies a reference cycle in the making.
