MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Plain text for smartphones & printers

Support us financially by purchasing this from
 

David MATTHEWS (b. 1943)
Piano Quintet Op. 92 (2004) [20.23]
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Piano Quintet Op. 57 (1940) [31.40]
Martin Cousin (piano)
Villiers String Quartet (James Dickenson, Tamaki Higashi (violins), Carmen Flores (viola), Nick Stringfellow (cello))
rec. Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St. Hilda’s College, Oxford, 20-21 January 2015.
SOMM SOMMCD0157 [52.16]

One or two introductory remarks, if I may. I have chosen to include in this review (see Appendix), the movement markings of these two piano quintets. In the case of the Matthews work, they are there because of their interesting quirkiness and for the Shostakovich for the sake of its five movement structure. Secondly, a generalisation: readers will have noticed the short total duration of this CD, coming in at less than 60 minutes. A new trend? An increasing number of albums have come to me recently with short total timings reversing a trend towards 75-80 minute packed CDs. For the reader this might seem parsimonious but to a reviewer such short change might be welcome if the content is tedious. However, I promise that these 52 golden minutes represent money very well spent.

The David Matthews Piano Quintet was conceived as an engagement present for his wife thus its generally genial disposition. Matthews, himself, describes it thus: “The song and dance element is … predominant. The outer movements are essentially lyrical while the middle movements are dance movements (tango and chaconne) with the third movement a blend of song and dance”. The whole work is eminently accessible and charming; the writing adroit, artful and subtle. The opening movement is sweetly introspective, the Tango with strident piano and slinky string figures; Matthews claiming that “the tango seems particularly suited to the medium of piano and strings”. The Largo is stately and solemn and Matthews tells us that the Canto finale “… grew out of a walking holiday in Italy … [when] I heard the bells of a convent near the town of Montefalco”. The bells figure in the centre of this lively movement that ends in jubilation. The Villiers Quartet attack this lively sunny music with energy and joyful enthusiasm. Martin Cousin continues his impressive progress through the catalogues delivering another dazzling contribution.
 
Matthews observes that the Shostakovich Piano Quintet is “one of his finest works and one of the handful of great piano quintets written in the twentieth century …”, a view shared by Robert Matthew-Walker who contributed the notes for this section of the booklet. It has a direct emotional appeal. The opening movement indeed appeals to the senses: feminine daintiness in the waltz contrasts with forceful strong masculinity. The four-voiced Fugue begins with muted strings: first violin, second violin, cello and then viola with the piano entry delayed until nearly two minutes into this nine-minute second movement. There is a general mood of vulnerability and insecurity projected by the piano’s hammering. Even so, it all ends in peace – of a sort. The Scherzo is great fun and a delight. It feels like a take-off of a "danse macabre". The Intermezzo restores calm until the impassioned climax; the style is rather neo-classical. The Finale is sunny, optimistic and affirmative telling us that life is good despite fleeting shadows. Another compelling performance.

Sheer delight.

Ian Lace
 
APPENDIX
 
Matthews: Praeludio: Moderato con moto [4.46]; Tango: Urgente [5.00]; Ciaccona: Largo [6.08]; Canto: Allegretto giocoso [4.29]
Shostakovich: Prelude: Lento [4.42]; Fugue: Adagio [9.25]; Scherzo: Allegretto [3.28];
Intermezzo: Lento [6.38]; Finale: Allegretto [7.27]

 

 



Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing