Chausson, D'Indy: String Quartets

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Here's an enormously rewarding pairing of two notable op. 35s by two underrated French masters. Listening to the ambitious First Quartet (1890-1) of Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931), Sibelius's famous comments regarding his own Fourth Symphony spring to mind: "It has nothing, absolutely nothing of the circus about it." This is indeed a formidably serious utterance, positively Beethovenian in spirit and scope, densely plotted and always resourcefully argued. However, for all the music's somewhat ascetic leanings, it's counterbalanced by an appealing lyrical flow and even the occasional dash of humor. In short, a substantial achievement, well worth getting to know. (By the way, annotator Roger Nichols intriguingly wonders whether the first violin's closing upward flourish was subconsciously borrowed by Debussy for the ending of his own string quartet.) A victim of a bizarre cycling accident at age 44, Ernest Chausson (1855-99) managed to write nearly three of the four movements of his projected String Quartet (the scherzo was posthumously completed by his friend d'Indy). It's another noble, beautifully crafted creation, boasting a particularly affecting slow movement. The Chilingirian Quartet performs both works to the manner born, and the sound is consistently lifelike. Do investigate. --Andrew Achenbach

Amazon.com

Here's an enormously rewarding pairing of two notable op. 35s by two underrated French masters. Listening to the ambitious First Quartet (1890-1) of Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931), Sibelius's famous comments regarding his own Fourth Symphony spring to mind: "It has nothing, absolutely nothing of the circus about it." This is indeed a formidably serious utterance, positively Beethovenian in spirit and scope, densely plotted and always resourcefully argued. However, for all the music's somewhat ascetic leanings, it's counterbalanced by an appealing lyrical flow and even the occasional dash of humor. In short, a substantial achievement, well worth getting to know. (By the way, annotator Roger Nichols intriguingly wonders whether the first violin's closing upward flourish was subconsciously borrowed by Debussy for the ending of his own string quartet.) A victim of a bizarre cycling accident at age 44, Ernest Chausson (1855-99) managed to write nearly three of the four movements of his projected String Quartet (the scherzo was posthumously completed by his friend d'Indy). It's another noble, beautifully crafted creation, boasting a particularly affecting slow movement. The Chilingirian Quartet performs both works to the manner born, and the sound is consistently lifelike. Do investigate. --Andrew Achenbach

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