Beethoven: Piano Quartets (3), WoO 36

From the pen of the fifteen-year-old Beethoven, these three piano quartets are among the earliest examples of a chamber music genre that would not reach full maturity until the time of Brahms. Beethoven’s path-breaking essays stand beside those of Mozart (Naxos 8554274), also dating from the mid-1780s. In them the teenage composer and virtuoso pianist exuberantly explores the relationship between the strings and piano, and would later borrow from them for his Piano Sonatas, Op. 2 (8550150). With this recording the New Zealand Piano Quartet makes its Naxos début. “The New Zealand Piano Quartet distinguished itself once again with a superb recital … and has quickly established itself as one of the country's pre-eminent chamber music ensembles…. Its members’ fine balance, obvious empathy, and enjoyment for the music produced rewarding performances with a programme of three piano quartets.” The Daily Post, Rotorua