Piano Quartet in B flat major (1875) [31:45]
Barcarolle in F major (1897) [9:09]
Piano Quintet in A minor (1854-55) [30:08]
Cristina Ortiz (piano)
Fine Arts Quartet
rec. Concert Hall, Performing Arts Centre, Purchase College, State University of New York, Purchase NY, 26-29 March 2012
NAXOS 8.572904 [71:02]
My colleague Ian Lace already named this album Recording
of the Month and praised the “charm[ing]” and “gorgeously
evocative” chamber music of Camille Saint-Saëns. It’s
showcased here but hard to find elsewhere. I don’t feel very creative
agreeing with him on every point, but I do. The motion is seconded: Saint-Saëns’
chamber music is unjustifiably overlooked, a source of great pleasure,
and we should be glad that such fine performers are now its champions.
This is the Fine Arts Quartet’s second Saint-Saëns album, after
his string quartets, which I also
enjoyed, but maybe not this much. The early piano quintet, written
when the composer was escaping his teenage years, is ambitious but wholly
enjoyable, with evocations of Mendelssohn. There’s a tune in the
first movement that sounds coincidentally like the opening of the later
piano quintet by Dvorák. The andante, with slightly greater harmonic
daring and a direct tie to the scherzo, is to me the highlight.
The late piano quartet, the composer’s second - a companion CD featuring
the first must be in the offing? - is truly superb in a romantic sort
of way, beauty its aim and its strength. The work’s not untroubled
by drama, but the composer’s French side shows through, with writing
reminiscent of Fauré and an epic finale. Although the work is in
B flat, every movement but the first starts in a minor key. The barcarolle
is as good as Ian Lace said it was: a gentle rocking motion in the viola
and cello joined by evocative piano writing and some of the big tunes
this composer for which is both great and under-appreciated.
The Fine Arts Quartet is one of the best ensembles around at creating
a luxurious romantic atmosphere, with all four players capable of making
their instruments sing, sing, sing. To this full-bodied quartet add the
able pianism of Cristina Ortiz, a pairing which has already proved delightful
in Fauré and Franck, and satisfaction is basically guaranteed.
Excellent sound makes this a treat for all those who enjoy the byways
of the romantic era.
Brian Reinhart
A treat for all those who enjoy the byways of the romantic era.
See also review by Ian Lace (April 2013 Recording of the Month)
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