Chamber Music: February 2009 Archives

Arthur Somervell
(1863-1937)

Clarinet Quintet in G Major (1913)

Gordon Jacob
(1895-1984)

Clarinet Quintet in G Minor (1942)

Thea King, clarinet
The Aeolian Quartet
Hyperion Helios CDH55110 57:44

Somervell is remembered most for his choral works and song cycles but there are recordings of some other works, including a violin concerto. His Clarinet Quintet is a fairly genial work which shows most the influence of Brahms.

Jacob's quintet is in much the same realm as Vaughan Williams' more ethereal works such as the oboe concerto, although with some touches of gruff humor. The clarinet quintet is hardly a prolific species and these two examples are welcome additions.

[ Available on CD: Amazon - UK - Germany - Canada - France - Japan - ArkivMusic - CD Universe ]

Gabriel Fauré
(1845-1924)

Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 120 (1923)

Claude Debussy
(1862-1918)

Piano Trio in G Major (1879)

Maurice Ravel
(1875-1937)

Piano Trio in A minor (1914)

The Florestan Trio
Hyperion SACDA67114 Multichannel Hybrid SACD

The Fauré piano trio was written when the composer was 77, and it was his penultimate composition. The Debussy trio was written when the composer was still a teenager, and the Ravel trio was written in middle-age. As I listen to these works, however, I feel that their common musical language transcends time and space. The music is sweet, immediately accessible, and memorable. The three works also share a wistful mood in each of their slower movements.

The Debussy trio, rarely heard, is a special treat, and it was this piece that prompted the purchase of this disc. Although I have other performances of the Ravel and Fauré trios, I am very happy to have this disc, too, because the Florestan Trio (Anthony Marwood, violin; Richard Lester, cello; Susan Tomes, piano) perform all of these works with great intensity, verve, and delicacy.

[ Available on Multichannel Hybrid SACD: Amazon - UK - Germany - Canada - France - Japan - ArkivMusic - CD Universe
  Or on CD CDA67114: Amazon - UK - Germany - Canada - France - Japan - ArkivMusic - CD Universe ]

Antonín Dvořák
(1841-1904)

Carnival Overture, Op. 92
Humoresques, Op. 101 #1 & 7
Piano Trio "Dumka", Op. 90: Allegro
Slavonic Dances, Op. 72 #2 & 7
Romance in F Minor
   for Violin & Orchestra, Op. 11
Gypsy Melodies
   for Voice and Piano, Op. 55 #4 & 5
From the Bohemian Forest "Klid" (Silent
   Woods) for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 68 #5
Rusalka: "Mesicku na nebi hlubokem"
   (O Moon High up in the Deep Sky)
Psalm 149 "Sing unto the Lord a New Song"
   for Chorus & Orchestra, Op. 79

Rudolf Firkušný, piano
Yo Yo Ma, cello
Itzhak Perlman, violin
Frederica von Stade, soprano
Prague Philharmonic Chorus/Pavel Kühn
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa
Sony Classical SK46687 64:50

This compact disc is a companion to the television special broadcast from Prague (available on DVD) from December 1993. The performances are simply wonderful, but special mention should be made of Perlman's outstanding performance of the Romance in F minor for violin and orchestra, and Yo Yo Ma's moving rendition of Klid (Silent Woods) for cello and orchestra. Frederica von Stade's "O Moon High Up in the Deep Sky" aria from Rusalka and "Songs My Mother Taught Me" are glorious. This is a very fine collection of works, and will tempt the listener to find even more of Dvořák's beautiful music.

[ Available on CD: Amazon - UK - Germany - Canada - France - Japan - ArkivMusic - CD Universe ]

[ Also available on DVD Kultur Video 4211 (96 minutes): Amazon - UK - Germany - Canada - France - Japan - ArkivMusic - CD Universe ]