César Franck: Piano Quintet; Ernest Chausson: String Quartet (1998)

Two Chamber Masterworks

This early Naxos CD has been deservedly acclaimed by critics and by my fellow amateur reviewers. It includes two late 19th Century French romantic works of chamber music: Cesar Franck's Piano Quintet in F minor and Ernest Chausson's string quartet in C minor, opus 35. The Quator Ludwig, joined by pianist Michael Levinas in the Franck, offer stunning performances of passionate works both of which remain too little known. Both these pieces are joys to hear, and I find much of inspiration in the lives of their composers.

Cesar Franck (1822 -- 1890) was born in Belgium but received his musical training and spent most of his life in France. As did Domenico Scarlatti, Franck found his fullest, most personal musical voice in his latter years. In his maturity, Franck composed his famous symphony, a violin sonata, string quartet, and this piano quintet in F minor, first performed in 1880. And this piano quintet composed in the latter part of life speaks in the voice of emotion. In its lateness and its feeling, the quintet and Franck are deeply inspiring.

Little in Franck's earlier output or in French chamber music set the stage for this quintet. The work is full of sweeping contrasts, drive and passion and romantic feeling. Many listeners find eroticism in this work. As is much of Franck's latter music the quintet is written in cyclic form, in which some of the thematic material returns in each of the three movements, and in a dense, chromatic style. The quintet is difficult to perform, especially for the virtuosic piano part, and requires concentration to hear. But it is an overwhelming, work of music.

The lengthy first movement of the quintet, marked molto moderato, offers a kaleidescopic range of tempos and mood changes. It opens with a wailing theme in the strings followed by a slower, deliberate response in the piano which becomes the basis for the cyclical theme of the work. Throughout the opening movement the piano and the quartet generally play in opposition to each other, each alternating between the soft and the pleading (as in the piano's first entrance) and the passionate and aggressive. At a few climactic moments, Franck moves away from the dualistic role of the piano and quartet, as the instruments all play together, with the strings swirling around angry repeated and deep chords in the piano. The movement goes through an extensive development which leads to a final, accelerating conclusion. The opening movement of the quintet is a superb 15 minutes of music.

The remaining two movements of the quintet remain on this high level. Many listeners find the slow movement, marked lento, the heart of the work. Here again the piano and the strings alternate in the opening moments. The movement unfolds slowly with great sadness and intensity but gradually moves into music of peace and consolation. The finale, Allegro non troppo, begins quietly and ominously with repeated swirling figures in the strings over the piano. The movement increases in tempo and volume to sway with feeling and reach a heroic conclusion. Franck's quintet of his old age is a major work of 19th Century chamber music.

Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) was fully educated and practiced as a lawyer before he realized that his calling was as a composer. Well into his 20s, Chausson was able to make a change in his life, put his years of training as a lawyer behind him, and transform himself to achieve his dream. Chausson composed a small but high quality body of music before his untimely death. His three movement string quartet, op 35 was one of his final works, with the final bars of the concluding movement completed by Vincent d'Indy. The work is lyrical and tightly written with close harmonies and intricate part-leading.

The opening movement is marked grave and begins with a melancholy theme. It develops into a movement of serenity and lyricism with intricate solos for each voice of the quartet and some lovely use of pizzicato figures. The second movement marked tres calme is the centerpiece of the quartet. The movement consists of a single extended theme which is varied subtly as the four voices sing together and in counterpoint. In its serene and elevated character, this movement could be the romantic successor of a slow movement from a Haydn quartet. The finale, marked Gaiement et pas trop vite, has some of the spirit of serenity and restrained lyricism as the two earlier movements. The concluding moments of the work are much more rapid in tempo and more sharply rhythmical, probably due to d'Indy's hand in the final measures.

With its beautiful slightly off-the-beaten path repertoire, outstanding performances, low price, and informative notes, this CD will delight lovers of chamber music or of French music.