Play Brahms

Here's where we need two separate ratings. For the performance, absolutely five stars. Klien gets the phrasing and the rhythm and the tempo right more than any other performer. Compare for instance his performance of the B minor waltz with any other recording, including Fleisher's, and you'll know that Klien understood in his mind and his soul better than anyone else how to present this music.For the recording quality, we need another rating scale. It's not good. There are some piano recordings from this period that sound very good indeed on CD, and this is not one of them. If you require fine recording quality for this music, you can't go wrong with Julius Katchen in my opinion.But my favorite performance is Klien.

Several other reviewers have rightly pointed out the deficits of this set, yet have given it 5 stars! So I am giving it 2 to help even the playing field. Yes, Walter Klien was a fine pianist, sadly underappewciated today--but this set has some serious problems, e.g., at 5 CDs it will give the impression to many buyers that it is the complete piano works of Brahms, but this is not the case. Missing are 3 substantial works--the 1st and 2nd sonatas and the Paganini Variations, and several miscellaneous short pieces--and as for the sound, it is old and not very vivid, there are numerous 'dropouts' where the sound disappears, however briefly, and high notes are almost always distorted. In addition there is the unfortunate decision of Vox to include the 2-piano recordings with Alfred Bendel, already available on the Brendel set, instead of the Vox recording with Klien's wife Beatriz, which is nowhere else available and is of considerable interest to collectors. No doubt Vox thought the Brendel name would enhance sales. This set could only be of interest to Walter Klien fanatics who will be grateful for whatever they can get, whereas I think far more people would be disappointed in the many missing works, the poor sound quality, and/or the inclusion of Mr. Brendel instead of Mrs. Klien.

No problems.

I feel guilty giving this collection only four stars. I'm enjoying it, but I'm not sure how much that means objectively - I've always loved Walter Klien's performing and have lived in his Schubert sonatas for a couple decades, so I feel like he's an old friend. If my subjective opinion counts for anything, I recommend this set. Delicate, precise, and all-around nice.

The piano works of Johannes Brahms, here recorded, represent in brief the best of Brahms middle period. Here one finds a man who has reached the maturity of his years; his vision directed more towards the contemplative than the assertive. At last he finds rest.