"The two piano quintets on this album qualify as neglected, even the "repertory" work by Edward Elgar, from his chamber music year of 1918, is not so often heard. As for the Piano Quintet in F sharp minor, Op. 67, of Amy Beach, its comparative rarity is a crying shame. When this album appeared in 2020, the work had not been recorded for 12 years, and it has rarely been performed by groups of the caliber of the Takács Quartet and pianist Garrick Ohlsson, the latter especially sensitive to the music's symphonic dimensions"

"The Takács Quartet and pianist Garrick Ohlsson, without excess or hysterics, plumb every emotional possibility. Geraldine Walther's glowing viola-playing shines in the lyrical slow movement, with violins, cello and piano equal in reply to her yearning melody. The work is paired with the Piano Quintet in F sharp minor by Amy Beach from 1907, similarly restless and poetic, with an ambitious, turbulent final movement, decidedly worth getting to know, even if Elgar is the real draw here"

"Chamber choice: This excellent release celebrates two glorious pieces for piano quintet with performances of unabashed élan ... Beach's Piano Quintet of 1907 is a work of luscious neo-Romanticism ... The ensemble brings an extraordinary range and depth of sound to Beach's closely-worked score ... Ohlsson and the Takács Quartet are vividly alert to the Elgar's sense of story ... This is a performance every bit as imaginative and expressive as Elgar's remarkable score, rich in contrast and daring but never overblown and always precise ... In every respect an outstanding disc"

"Editor's choice: Beach's Piano Quintet, the most widely performed of her chamber works ... is a highly developed work which should be considered part of that canon of quintets led by Schumann and Brahms ... This is highly accomplished writing and reveals Beach's true imagination as a master of instrumental form ... Ohlsson and the Takács are to be congratulated for the warmth of their interpretation and for their ability to encompass the challenging range of Elgar's complex moods"

"Editor's choices - May 2020: Amy Beach's Piano Quintet of 1907 was a new discovery for me, and Ohlsson and the Takács do it proud: following a shimmering, almost Ravel-ish opening, the first movement springs into muscular, athletic life, and the substantial central Adagio boasts one of the loveliest melodies that's come my way in a long while. Ohlsson, quite closely recorded, knows exactly when to take centre stage and when to recede, and the strings emulate the brawn of an entire section when required"

Vurdering: 5/5

"Den kendte brite Edward Elgar og hans ukendte amerikanske kollega Amy Beach klæder hinanden formidabelt godt ... Det er to fine og samtidig smukt sammensatte værker, man kan opleve på dette nye album med kammermusik for klaver og strygere, og det er godt at høre musik af så god, men glemt en komponist som Amy Beach ... Top-strygekvartetten Takács er den kvartet, der har valgt at sætte Amy Beachs og Edward Elgars klaverkvintetter sammen på et nyt album, og Amy Beach kunne næppe få bedre advokater ... Takács Kvartetten spiller hendes mystiske, sensuelle, velskrevne musik fra 1907 med lige dele passion og præcision, så det er bare at læne sig tilbage og nyde musik fra øverste skuffe af en komponist, man burde høre mere til"