Brahms and Schumann liked and admired each other in the short period following the younger man's first visit to Schumann's house in September 1853, an event which preceded Schumann's tragic mental collapse by a mere five months. And their piano quintets, separated as they are by 22 years, make a good coupling, not least because they also offer contrast. Each composer wrote his quintet when he was just over 30: Schumann's is the sunnier work, as it happens, while that of the more stoical northerner Brahms is darker though arguably stronger too. That strength comes out immediately in this new account by Peter Frankl and the Lindsay Quartet, and so does their awareness and enjoyment of Brahms's rich textures. The piano is set fairly far back and the overall sound is ripely autumnal; indeed, this is a fairly sombre performance of a lengthy work. Maybe the players could have found more sweetness and tenderness in the main theme of the Andante, un poco adagio, where some writers see Schubert's influence, to make the Quintet as a whole a touch less severe (compare Previn and the Musikverein Quartet on Philips here); but this is not a major criticism and the performance is a fine one with a Scherzo of purpose and power and an eerily compelling opening to the finale. Apparently Brahms himself liked to play the allegro non troppo which follows ''with extreme deliberation'', but today most people seems to take a brisker view of it.
Unlike Previn and his colleagues, and Pollini and the Quartetto Italiano (DG), Frankl and the Lindsay find room for a suitable coupling. In the Schumann, they rightly radiate more sunlight and sweetness—indeed, in the first movement, when the cello introduces the second subject (1'33''), I was reminded of Borodin in Mediterranean mood, and the playing in such passages is expansive and rhythmically relaxed. This is a different musical world from Brahms's and I am glad that the performance has a different kind of sound; even the 'funeral march' of the slow movement is not over-gloomy and the sequence of moods and tempos is well managed. A buoyant Scherzo and an exciting finale bring this effective performance to a close.
Detailed comparisons with the alternatives listed would take up excessive space, and without quite taking refuge in a bland comment about swings and roundabouts I'll say that all have something to offer. But Previn's spontaneity and Pollini's magisterial pianism in the Brahms don't make up for the short value with just that single work on a CD, and Pollini is set too far forward. I like the Panenka/Kocian Quartet performance of the Brahms (Denon) for its warmth, but the first movement is a bit lacking in voltage and generally the more sombre depths of the music remain unplumbed; but your response will depend on your view of the work, and this is distinctly likeable if you prefer a sunnier approach, while the coupling of the C minor Piano Quartet is useful. In the Schumann, Rajna and the Alberni on CRD are elegant but offer less strength and mystery than Frankl and his colleagues, and the recording of the piano is a bit harder in tone. The sad news of Leonard Bernstein's death makes listening to his CBS account with the Juilliard Quartet poignant, but although full of life and spontaneity it does not have quite the breadth and poise of the new performance on ASV.'