First impressions do not always prove reliable; when I first listened to this new Kammermusik No. 4 I was distinctly underwhelmed. The opening chords seemed not nearly grotesque enough, the tempo too relaxed. Persistence, though, has its rewards: by the close I was won round, and its companions proved a match. I have not been impressed by Abbado’s way with Hindemith recently, but these new performances are excellent. Where both the Gramophone Award-winning Chailly and the Stenz underline the music’s 1920s radicalism, Abbado takes a broader line, rather as the composer might have done in, say, the 1940s. (For an example of how Hindemith in later years ironed out the unevennesses of his youth, listen to his emasculated performance of the Viola Sonata, Op. 25 No. 1 for EMI, which in places is almost at half speed, 5/94.)
Abbado is well served by his band and soloists – violinist Kolja Blacher especially has the edge over his rivals to my mind – as well as the sound which varies its focus for each work. For example, No. 1 (1922), scored for 12 instruments with no soloist, is closely miked to give a real chamber feel, while Nos. 4 and 5 (1924-5) sound more like orchestral works. With the two concertos, couplings are the determining factor; Guttman’s, Cortese’s and Schmid’s accounts form part of programmes devoted to their instruments, the others form part of complete recordings of all seven Kammermusiken. For those with either the Decca or RCA, this new disc may be redundant; if the thought of all seven at once is too daunting, then this is the place to start. Recommended with enthusiasm.'