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Fauré: Piano Quartets, Op. 15 & 45 / Werther Quartet
Brilliant Classics

Fauré: Piano Quartets, Op. 15 & 45 / Werther Quartet

$13.99

Details

Composer
FAURE, GABRIEL
Artist
QUARTETTO WERTHER
Format
CD
Label
Brilliant Classics
Released
Mar 26, 2021
Catalog #
BRI95961
UPC
5028421959610

About

Established in Rome in 2016, the Quartetto Werther has already carried off several prizes at chamber-music competitions in its native Italy, and its members have been winners of several competitions for young musicians such as the Premio Geminiani awarded in 2019 to violinist Martina Santarone. As an ensemble they have studied with the Trio di Parma and the Cuarteto Casals, among others. With this release, their debut commercial recording, the Quartetto Werther has produced finely calibrated, beautifully engineered versions of the two piano quartets which make an ideal introduction to the voice of Gabriel Fauré in the realm of chamber music. The romantic, passionate melodies of the Op.15 celebrated Quartet in C minor are enclosed within relatively strict classical forms, with a songlike Adagio at its expressive heart. The Op.45 Quartet in G minor – something of a signature work for the Quartetto Werther – demonstrates a much bolder departure from the Classical tradition in terms of both structure and harmony. Some of its most striking moments include a mercurial Scherzo and a languorous Adagio. Despite the association of both keys with tragic and heroic forces – in the Fifth symphonies of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, for example – Fauré always balances intensity of feeling with a concern for elegance and formal lucidity. As he remarked to his fellow composer Florent Schmitt: ‘To express that which is within you with sincerity, in the clearest and most perfect manner, would seem to me the ultimate goal of art.’ When placed side by side in the Quartetto Werther’s deeply sympathetic interpretations, it is difficult to understand why the superbly crafted and melodically generous Second Quartet has never managed to achieve the popularity of the First, but their recording should win it many new friends.

Tracklist 8 tracks

  1. 1 I. Allegro molto moderato 09:45
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro molto moderato
    Duration
    09:45
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Ensemble
    Werther Quartet
  2. 2 II. Scherzo: Allegro vivo 05:59
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Scherzo: Allegro vivo
    Duration
    05:59
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Ensemble
    Werther Quartet
  3. 3 III. Adagio 07:09
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    07:09
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Ensemble
    Werther Quartet
  4. 4 IV. Allegro molto 08:25
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Allegro molto
    Duration
    08:25
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Ensemble
    Werther Quartet
  5. 5 I. Allegro molto moderato 11:13
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Allegro molto moderato
    Duration
    11:13
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Ensemble
    Werther Quartet
  6. 6 II. Allegro molto 03:39
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Allegro molto
    Duration
    03:39
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Ensemble
    Werther Quartet
  7. 7 III. Adagio non troppo 10:31
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Adagio non troppo
    Duration
    10:31
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Ensemble
    Werther Quartet
  8. 8 IV. Allegro molto 09:13
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Allegro molto
    Duration
    09:13
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Ensemble
    Werther Quartet