Hahn/Vierne: Piano Quintets

Editorial Reviews
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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

Customer Reviews:

neglected masterpieces.......2001-11-29

Any lover of chamber music would be cheating himself if this disc escaped his attention. Hahn's unsurpassed lyric gifts are in full bloom here in a performance of great subtlety and beauty. The music is full of Mendelssohnian verve and virtuosity. The crown in the jewel, however, is the relatively unknown Vierne quintet -- a piece which rivals the greatest in this form. Extraordinarily beautiful music played with love and conviction. Hyperion's usual high standards of recording prevail here as always and the musicians are world-class. Not to be missed, truly!

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Attack in Japan - Live [Import]

Classical Evolution: Spanish Guitar Music

Glad I'm in the Band

A Bayou Brass Christmas

Snapshot

Escape from New Orleans [Explicit Lyrics]

From Battersea to Broadway [Box set]

Dvorák: Piano Trio Op.21 & Op.90 'Dumky'

Fly on Strangewings [Import]

From Manhattan to Statten [Import]