Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major, D667 'The Trout' (Die Forelle)

“The pianist Bronfman joins the Zukerman Chamber Players (violinist Pinky plus three young Canadians) for an excursion into the rural idyll of Schubert’s Trout Quintet. The irresistible swing that they generate comes from deep within the core of their bright sound. The slowings at cadences are of one mind, and you’re swept along by the andante’s pendulum dialogue and the bouncing repeated notes of the scherzo. The Trout Variations are the height of gentility until fury erupts as the fish is caught. The jaunty finale, each long note an elegant springboard dive, suggests that he leaps free. The shared engine also drives Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E flat K493 in a performance that sounds nothing but fun.” The Times, 27th June 2008 ****

“Not just a piano virtuoso of steely right-hand brilliance, Yefim Bronfman also uses his left hand - to accentuate bass-lines and generate harmonic tension.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2008

“Choosing steady tempos, Yefim Bronfman and his string accomplices take an unusually serious view of proceedings. There are moments of great lyrical eloquence. But Bronfman, Zukerman and co do not do Viennese charm. Too often - above all, in their sober finale - they miss a blitheness and rhythmic buoyancy crucial to any performance of this lovable work. The players' spacious, thoughtful approach is better suited to Mozart's E flat Piano Quartet. The first movement, close in spirit to the contemporary piano concertos, has an almost symphonic amplitude. Again, though, the finale is slightly po-faced, with little sense of Mozartian roguishness bubbling beneath the music's urbane surface.” Richard Wigmore, The Telegraph, 23rd August 2008

"The Wanderers and their friends play both works with irresistible freshness and brio, making one listen afresh to the glories of Schubert - and regret the neglect of Hummel." Three stars The Sunday Times