I saw the "5 Browns" here in Cupertino yesterday.

It was nice to see many families and children attending a concert of piano music. And the Browns were very charming. They spoke about each piece before they played. (The oldest daughter just had a baby, so they had a Stephen Beus substitute.

But I have to say I was underwhelmed. I could probably pick any 5 recent Julliard piano graduates and have the same concert.

They played a mix of movie sound tracks, program music, and classical novelties (e.g., Prokofiev's Toccata).

5 Steinways on stage: 2 Ds and 3 Bs.

I'm not sure if arranging music for 5 pianos is just a fundamentally broken idea for a full program of music.

I would describe them as bringing (mostly) classical music to an audience who may not typically listen to classical music. The music they pick to play seems intended to appeal to a wide audience. I applaude them for that; when I attend the local symphony I am a bit concerned at the large number of people 60+ in the audience. Classical music needs to attract people of all ages.

We need more performers like that.

I well remember when the 5 Browns first came to my attention. Five fabulously talented young folks! Subsequently there was a certain 'domestic' issue which came to light, but I suppose that has been seen through.

Ryan -the youngest- always struck me as the most gifted, and his recording of the 3rd Prokofiev sonata is still a benchmark for me. His E minor Rachmaninov 'Moment Musical' was also very fine in capturing the kinetic onrush of this passionate outburst, though his reading of the double and triple dotted notes seemed a bit casual. His teacher should have caught that.

But whatever, his performance has all the drama one could hope for, and I should be so lucky to play it as well.