Ames Piano Quartet - Ames Piano Quartet - Complete Dorian Recordings 1989-2009 (2009)

04 Jan, 13:39
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Artist: Ames Piano Quartet, The Ames Piano Quartet
Title: Ames Piano Quartet - Complete Dorian Recordings 1989-2009
Year Of Release: 2009
Label: Dorian
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Total Time: 9:27:22
Total Size: 2.18 GB
WebSite: Album Preview

Tracklist:

Disc 1
1. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 23: I. Allegro moderato (15:12)
2. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 23: II. Andantino con variazioni (09:46)
3. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 23: III. Finale: Allegretto scherzando (08:06)
4. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 87, B. 162: I. Allegro con fuoco (08:43)
5. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 87, B. 162: II. Lento (11:24)
6. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 87, B. 162: III. Allegro moderato, grazioso (07:07)
7. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 87, B. 162: IV. Finale: Allegro ma non troppo (09:37)

Disc 2
1. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15: I. Allegro molto moderato (09:55)
2. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15: II. Scherzo: Allegro vivo (05:36)
3. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15: III. Adagio (07:52)
4. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15: IV. Allegro molto (08:20)
5. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45: I. Allegro molto moderato (11:15)
6. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45: II. Allegro molto (03:46)
7. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45: III. Adagio non troppo (10:32)
8. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor, Op. 45: IV. Adagio molto (08:43)

Disc 3
1. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 13, TrV 137: I. Allegro (11:59)
2. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 13, TrV 137: II. Scherzo: Presto (07:26)
3. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 13, TrV 137: III. Andante (08:56)
4. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 13, TrV 137: IV. Finale: Vivace (10:14)
5. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a minor, Op. 66: I. Allegro moderato (09:14)
6. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a minor, Op. 66: II. Adagio (08:45)
7. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a minor, Op. 66: III. Vivace (04:02)
8. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a minor, Op. 66: IV. Allegro ma non troppo (08:07)

Disc 4
1. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47: I. Sostenuto assai - Allegro ma non troppo (09:25)
2. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47: II. Scherzo: Molto vivace (03:39)
3. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47: III. Andante cantabile (07:09)
4. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in E flat major, Op. 47: IV. Finale: Vivace (08:07)
5. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25: I. Allegro (14:09)
6. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25: II. Intermezzo: Allegro ma non troppo - Trio: Animato (08:54)
7. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25: III. Andante con moto - Animato (11:09)
8. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25: IV. Rondo alla zingarese: Presto - Meno presto - Molto presto (09:10)

Disc 5
1. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in a major, Op. 26: I. Allegro non troppo (13:14)
2. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in a major, Op. 26: II. Poco adagio (11:27)
3. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in a major, Op. 26: III. Scherzo: Poco allegro - Trio (11:57)
4. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 2 in a major, Op. 26: IV. Finale: Allegro (10:37)
5. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60: I. Allegro ma non troppo (10:39)
6. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60: II. Scherzo: Allegro (04:17)
7. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60: III. Andante (08:49)
8. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60: IV. Fiinale: Allegro comodo (08:29)

Disc 6
1. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 37, "Rhapsody": I. Moderato (09:57)
2. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 37, "Rhapsody": II. Allegretto (05:40)
3. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 37, "Rhapsody": III. Sostenuto (14:09)
4. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in E major, Op. 20: I. Allegro brillante (13:23)
5. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in E major, Op. 20: II. Adagio piu tosto largo (09:47)
6. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in E major, Op. 20: III. Finale: Allegro molto (16:13)
7. The Ames Piano Quartet – Knyaz Igor (Prince Igor), Act II: Dance of the Polovtsian Maidens (arr. G. Wilcken) (09:43)

Disc 7
1. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a minor, Op. 1: I. Allegro appassionato (06:57)
2. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a minor, Op. 1: II. Adagio (07:09)
3. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a minor, Op. 1: III. Allegro con fuoco (07:10)
4. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 7: I. Andante (08:12)
5. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 7: II. Scherzino: Allegretto comodo (05:44)
6. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 7: III. Rondo: Allegro (08:07)
7. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1, H. 287: I. Poco Allegro (06:22)
8. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1, H. 287: II. Adagio (08:51)
9. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet No. 1, H. 287: III. Allegretto poco moderato (08:27)

Disc 8
1. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a major, Op. 30: I. Anime (11:45)
2. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a major, Op. 30: II. Tres calme (08:30)
3. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a major, Op. 30: III. Simple et sans hate (03:44)
4. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in a major, Op. 30: IV. Anime (11:20)
5. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in B flat major, Op. 41: I. Allegretto (07:03)
6. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in B flat major, Op. 41: II. Andante maestoso ma con moto (06:44)
7. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in B flat major, Op. 41: III. Poco allegro piu tosto moderato - Allegro non troppo - Allegro - Molto allegro - Presto - Prestissimo (06:28)
8. The Ames Piano Quartet – Piano Quartet in B flat major, Op. 41: IV. Allegro - Mouvement du premier morceau - Allegro non troppo - Tempo primo (09:39)

While piano trios abound and string quartets are a dime a dozen, what's rare are extant, long-standing piano quartets. Compared to the former two ensembles, repertoire for the latter is less abundant but no less significant. Piano quartets are often performed by piano trios who add a viola or string quartets that sit out a member and add a pianist. The result, however, is a temporary ensemble that lacks the benefits of performing long term with the same musicians. The Ames Piano Quartet proves that not only can a piano quartet exist as its own entity, but that it can thrive. Originally formed in 1976 at the University of Iowa and now faculty artists at Iowa State University, the Ames Piano Quartet has made a name for itself as skilled interpreters of the standard popular repertoire as well as champions of new and lesser known works. The present eight-disc collection showcases the recordings the group made on the Dorian label from 1989 through 2009. Listeners will enjoy stunning, thoughtful interpretations of warhorses of the repertoire like the three Brahms quartets, two from Dvorák, and quartets from Schumann, Fauré, and Strauss, as well as enlightening performances of rarely performed quartets by Suk, Martinu, and Widor. Taken from recordings made across two decades, there is an understandable variability in recorded sound quality from disc to disc, and the Ames does not have the most spotless intonation in the world. What it does have that many others lack is a clear, singular, unified vision of the score. Every articulation, every phrase, every dynamic, and every nuance is perfectly matched across the four members. Balance within the ensemble is also pleasantly fluid, shifting to allow the melody to come to the fore without obscuring the inner voices. Adding to its polished playing and far-reaching repertoire is a very informative and well-written set of liner notes that make this collection one well worth checking out.

Ames Piano Quartet - Complete Dorian Recordings 1989-2009.rar - 2.2 GB