Franck: Piano Quintet in F Minor / Chausson: String Quartet in C Minor
At the end of his life, Franck composed three chamber music masterpieces which, along with the popular Symphony in D minor, placed him at the forefront of French composers of "abstract" instrumental music. This piano quintet is one of those masterpieces. Like the Symphony in D minor, it has three movements and it's constructed according to the principals of cyclical form, which simply means that the various movements share some themes. It's an absolutely gorgeous piece of music, and this award-winning recording is the finest available performance of it. With an ample coupling in the form of Chausson's quartet, and a budget price to boot, you can't go wrong.--David Hurwitz