The 5 Browns - The 5 Browns (2005)

Yes, there is a certain amount of novelty to this disc. How often is a record label going to spend the money to get five pianos into one studio? This is the first recording by the sisters and brothers, the 5 Browns, who turn piano ensemble music into a true team sport. However, the album is meant to do more than display the team playing; it also gives the musicians a chance to show off their individual skills. They are all highly talented and give very polished performances, aided by a very polished sound to the recording. The works for five pianos are surprisingly well done in terms of capturing the original music without adding too much extra texture. The Scenes from West Side Story is more a stringing together of themes, some not brought to conclusion, with only a couple of extended musical episodes from Bernstein's original, but the Browns give it energy, as they do all the works here, and at the beginning of the "America" section, capture the essence of soft, Puerto Rican breezes. The solo pieces plus Ravel's two-piano version of La Valse are said to have been chosen by the performers because they are works that they like, but it doesn't hurt that the pieces show off each of the Browns' technical abilities, with a lesser emphasis on their musical maturity. On the DVD side of the disc, there are extra video tracks with an interview of the Browns and the team in action, playing The Flight of the Bumblebee and a shortened Scenes from West Side Story. The 5 Browns prove that, although still young and with a little maturing still to be done, they are more than a novelty, both as a team and as individuals.