PIANO QUARTETS
2 quatuors de Mel Bonis et le trio "Soir et Matin"
by the MOZART PIANO QUARTET, Paul Ravinius, piano, Marc Gothoni, violin, Hartmut Rhode, viola, Peter Hörr, cello.
MDG Production, Germany, 2008
‘5 diapasons’ in the May 2008 issue of “Diapason”:
‘...Saint-Saëns himself confessed his admiration for the first quartet...The second of the genre reflects the musical evolution of the composer, who moves from a relatively seductive style to an interiority that gains in dramatic power. The individual treatment of the instruments, the refinement of the harmonic developments and the melodic complexity of both works make for attentive listening at all times. The Mozart piano quartet's interpretation is characterised by homogeneity of timbre and intelligence of discourse, which is very polished but does not overshadow the perhaps more ‘French’ reading by the quartet formed by Nikolitch, Vasseur, Trotereau and Martin (Voice of lyrics 200), which is in places more salient and contrasting, in which the individuality and personality of each instrumentalist never fades to the benefit of the ensemble. A welcome complement to the trio movements soir, Matin, which are less ambitious but more immediately accessible, with a thrilling sensitivity.
Ivan Ivineaux
