Hahn & Vierne Piano Quintets
This is a most enterprising and valuable release. Neither work is new to the catalogue though it is difficult to imagine them being better played. Although we normally associate Hahn with song and Vierne with the organ, both turned to the present medium within a few years of each other. The Vierne was written in 1917 in the wake of the death of his second son, killed in action at the age of only 17 during the First World War. It is music of substance, finely structured and with a particularly searching and thoughtful slow movement. The annotator draws a parallel with Frank Bridge and in its dark chromaticism it is bleak, its world altogether harsher than such of his organ music that I know. The Hahn Quintet dates from 1922, as far removed in spirit from the Vierne as it is possible to imagine. Apart from the finale, which strikes me as a bit manufactured, its invention is both compelling and fresh, although the debt to Fauré (not so much the later music but the Fauré of the A major Sonata and the piano quartets) is pervasive. The Hahn piece offers civilized discourse, though the Vierne is the more haunting and powerful. I immediately replayed its affecting Andante.Stephen Coombs and the Chilingirian Quartet play with conviction and character, and are given the benefit of immediate and vivid recorded sound. Francis Pott contributes well-researched notes, showing a wide range of reference. Collectors who enjoy, say, the Franck Piano Quintet and the Chausson Concert will feel very much at home here and find strong musical rewards.Robert Layton--From International Record Review - subscribe now