One of the most attractive qualities of this new version of a well-loved quintet is the skill with which the artists, abetted by the record producer, have integrated the clarinet into the string textures. Having listened more creatively than any other composer to Mozart’s example, Brahms allows the clarinet to become part of the tone colour in the string ensemble; and he has also followed the implications, as not all his interpreters seem to understand. Here, the little falling third theme, one of his lifelong obsessions, moves in and out of the musical texture with wonderful subtlety, so that the return of the opening figure at the very end needs no special emphasis but is a natural conclusion. Leister is an artist of long skill and experience, and also of great musical intelligence; the qualities tell.
They also mean that there is no need to confer upon the performance anything approaching the sentimentality which can afflict it, in the name of ‘nostalgia’ as the old composer looks affectionately back upon his life’s work. This is quite a robust performance, clearly appreciated by the enthusiastic young string quartet, who give a suitably matching account of the Op. 51 work which was one of the first quartets Brahms allowed into the light of day. There are, of course, any number of performances of the quintet, including some by Leister himself. A familiar coupling is, naturally, Mozart’s quintet. This is a unique one, but collectors with a particular interest in Brahms will find much to deepen their admiration here.'