Eric Le Sage (piano), Daishin Kashimoto (violin), Schumann Quartett, Erik Schumann (violin), Ken Schumann (violin), Veit Hertenstein (alto), Mark Schumann (violoncello), Natalia Lomeiko (violin), Yuri Zhislin (alto), Claudio Bohórquez (violoncello)
Chausson: Ernest Chausson - Concert pour violon, piano et quatuor à cordes en ré majeur Op. 21
Vierne, L: Louis Vierne - Quintette pour piano, 2 violons, alto et violoncelle Op. 42
Upon its premiere in Brussels in 1892, Ernest Chausson’s Concert opus 21 was met with resounding acclaim in chamber music circles. Critic Pierre Lalo called the singular opus “one of the most considerable and interesting works written for music in recent years.” And with good reason: the score’s instrumentation was unconventional. The violin and the piano, conceived of as solo instruments, are accompanied by a string quartet. Along with other composers at the time, Chausson wished to move beyond German Romanticism, attempting in particular to free himself of Wagner’s paralysing influence. So he turned toward a more classical expression, taking after composers such as Couperin and Rameau. Rather than labelling his opus 21 as a sextet, he favoured the term “concert”. Thus named, the piece was in keeping with Baroque influences: the formation was reminiscent of the antique concerto grosso for several soloists, whereas the term “concert” finds a number of occurrences in 17th century works.
Louis Vierne - Piano Quintet, opus 42 The path opened by Chausson’s Concert op. 21 was not without successors. Less original yet just as resounding, in turn Louis Vierne’s Quintet op. 42 shuffled the stakes of the chamber music genre. Devoting a large part to the piano, its writing emerges from the wake between organ and orchestral music. It has to be said that Louis Vierne’s career as an organist was prestigious. First noticed by César Franck, who became his professor of harmony, Vierne was admitted into Charles-Marie Widor’s organ class at the Conservatoire de Paris. He quickly became his assistant and substitute at the Church of Saint-Sulpice’s choir loft, before being offered the position at Notre-Dame. As a composer, he tried his hand at the post-Wagnerian language of his time; one of dense counterpoint, omnipresent chromatic harmonies and an exalted character. Known especially for his liturgical music and his symphonies, this quintet is nonetheless one of his masterpieces. The heady and wilful quality of this opus mirrors a life of suffering: born blind, Louis Vierne was operated on at age 6. The intervention restored part of his eyesight, allowing him to begin an education at Institut des jeunes aveugles (Institute for Blind Youth) in Paris, where he began his musical tuition.
"Definitely a disc that invites and repays repeated listening: especially, for me, the Vierne, which now has a firm place in my heart of hearts." - Gramophone Magazine, December 2024
