Resonance: Farrenc, Schumann, Durosoir
To my count, this is the eighth post on Classical Explorer featuring playing by Emanuel Despax: he is worth the focus, for sure, a rare meeting of musical sensitivity and high technique.
ThePiano Quintet in C-Minor, Op. 40 by Louise Farrenc receives its first recording here. Farrenc's music is fascinating (see her Symphonies). In chamber music, she seems jus as at home as on the orchestral canvas, and it soon becomes obvious thatDespax and the PIatti Quartet is a match made in Heaven:
As the title suggests, this is a version of the Piano Sextet (1851/2), prepared by Farrenc herself. One can hear that Farrenc studied piano with both Moscheles and Hummel in the extravagance of the piano writing (exactly what Despax excels in); her composition teacher, though, was Reicha. Despax and the Piatti Quartet present chamber music performance of the very highest standard, finding just the right drama in the development section.
The Andante sostenuto is beautiful. Philip Borg Wheeler mentions Mendelssohn's filigree writing in reference to the first movement; I wonder, also, if this is not a Farrenc Lied ohne Worte? It certainly sits in high contrast to the high-velocity, minor-mode finale:
This is a stunning performance. It basically proves, the more Farrenc, the better.
Zara Benyounes joins the Piatti Quartet for Robert Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat, Op. 47, surely one of that composer's finest works. It is clear this is going to be a fine performance from the darkly-shaded Sostenuto assai, a gigantic upbeat to the Allegro ma non troppo (and how the performers listen to Schumann's instruction"ma non troppo":
The dialogues between instruments are a joy in the Allegro. But how the return of the Adagio makes its mark, a masterstroke leading to an almost operatic sense of recitative between strings and piano.
The Scherzo is placed second in this piece, here a multifaceted journey. Despax is so imaginative with his contribution; and it is as if piano and strings become one totality. But it is the cello of Jessie Ann Richardson that breaks hearts before the finale bursts on the scene, again the tempo so carefully considered to deliver the required momentum while maintaining detail. Here's the lovely slow movement:
Finally, more rarities: three duos by Lucien Durosoir (1878-1925_, a violinist who studied with Joachim and who gave the French premiere of Brahms' Violin Concerto. He studied with Caplet (Debussy's assistant) and Charles Tournemire, and later chose to base himself in a small, secluded village in the south-west of France.
How beautiful Durosoir's Priére à Marie, performed here by Michael Trainer. It is concentrated in language, and Durosoir has a musical signature of his own. In a sense, this is a sort of "salon music plus"; it was also a heartfelt prayer that the ailing copmoser would see his cildren grow up a little more:
Here's the Chant élégiaque, again for violin and piano, low-lying, throaty at first, the piano harmonies enigmatic, unique:
Finally, a Berceuse for cello and piano. Richardson is superb here, a long line jejewelled with piano:
Here's Durosoir's complete, half-hour Second String Quartet, for me a real discovery, played by Quatuor Stanislas (Laurent Causse & Bertrand Menut, violins; Marie Triplet, viola; and Jean de Spengler, cello).
00:07 Andante espressivo – Allegro agitato 10:07 Berceuse: Andante 17:36 Energique et passionné
Durosoir's pieces have been supported by players of the stature of Malin Broman, Rachel Barton Pine and Lawrence Power on disc, and his music appears also on the excellent Alpha label.
This excellent disc is available at Amazon here. Streaming below except iDagio here.
