Brahms: Quintet in B Minor for Viola & Strings, Op. 115; Shostakovich: Sinfonia for Viola & Strings. Yuri Bashmet, viola; Moscow Soloists. Sony SK 60550.

Brahms: Quintet in B Minor for Viola & Strings, Op. 115; Shostakovich: Sinfonia for Viola & Strings. Yuri Bashmet, viola; Moscow Soloists. Sony SK 60550.

Played at a reasonable level this disc sounds most lifelike. Played too loud, it becomes larger than life. Some recordings are like that. The Brahms Quintet was originally written for clarinet and is here transcribed for viola by Russian viola player Yuri Bashmet. His players are the Moscow Soloists, a small, string chamber ensemble Bashmet formed in 1992. The combination of Bashmet's soulful yet sensible playing and the seamless accompaniment of the Soloists produce a most pleasing effect. I was not quite so enamored of the Shostakovich, but I suspect it is for the Brahms that most people will want the disc, anyway. Bashmet's approach is moody and introspective, yet never dreamily Romantic. It seems very logical and orderly, and at the same time wistful and meditative. The dark, sometimes melancholy sound of the viola can easily become maudlin, but here it never does. It makes for pleasant listening, analytic but never beyond reach.