Bartók Quartet, Dezsö Ránki, Béla Kovács - Brahms: Piano Quintet, Clarinet Quintet (1976)

I think, if I were pushed onto a desert island and could only bring 10 classical CD's with me, Brahms' "Piano Quintet in F Minor" would be my first choice. And certainly this performance is one of the finest ever recorded. Transferred from 78's made in 1938, the sound is, naturally, not what one would hear today. So what? It certainly does not interfere with one's enjoyment. The performances are top of the line: The Busch Quartet, at the height of their fame, with their often companion, the inimitable Rudolf Serkin.
The liner notes, written in 1993, are skimpy but do tell us that this recording was made only one year before the musicians, being Jews, emigrated from Europe to the USA.
The companion piece on this CD is Brahms' gorgeous "Piano Quartet in A Major." The CD is filled to the brim with haunting music which you will return to again and again.....nearly 80 minutes of magnificent music played gorgeously. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.