Brahms’ duet arrangement of his Fourth Symphony finds Matthies and Köhn slightly below their best form. They seem to miss the first movement’s forest for the trees. The rhythmic syncopations stick out in the overall texture like lumps in oatmeal, and the pianists overarticulate the three-against-two figurations to the point where they simply don’t flow. Their sober and severe Andante Moderato works better. The third movement swings at a true Allegro Giocoso, although the witty counterlines and marvelous descending woodwind figures could be lighter and suppler. And much of the concluding Passacaglia is too loud and insufficiently differentiated in texture.
However, Matthies and Köhn do a magnificent job with the Tragic Overture, probing deeper than the flashy, relatively superficial Zilberstein/Garben recording on Hänssler. Here the tremolos and bass rumbles convey more darkness and mystery, while melody/accompaniment functions are gauged with sensitivity and subtle give and take. If you’re a piano duet arrangement enthusiast, pick up this release for the Tragic Overture–and try to hunt down the more fluid and characterful Duo Crommelynck Brahms Fourth on Claves.
