An almost unbelievable work | Chausson: Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet

Chausson's Classic Chamber Concert | Chausson: Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet | Ernest Chausson, Juilliard String Quartet, ...

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	• Chausson: Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet Ernest Chausson, Juilliard String Quartet, ... CBS Masterworks 1983 (Digitally Recorded), 1990 average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Ravishing

How in the world did this gorgeous work slide under the radar? Bolet, Perlman and the Julliard at their best. Just buy it.

An almost unbelievable work

If I was forced at gunpoint to name one musical work that I could call my favorite above all others, I'd have to say this Chausson Concert in D (not without a great amount of apology to Gustav Mahler). I'm both surprised and glad that this piece isn't extremely well-known because at least it isn't hackneyed - I like to think that the best stuff is the stuff you have to search out and look for. The Concert is a magnificent chamber work, stretching over 40 minutes in this edition yet completely coherent and flowing throughout, and never ceasing to move the emotions and soul of the listener. The first movement is superb and calming, with a melody as memorable as any I have heard, and the second is a delightful little ditty. The piece turns toward darker horizons in the third movement, which is one of the most poignant examples of pure soul-bearing, wailing despair I have ever heard, and the fourth is a heroic journey back to eventual light and a magnificent ending. The names Perlman and Bolet on this CD would indicate that the performance would be nothing if not excellent, and indeed it is - expansive, deep, and letting the music reach its full potential. I would HIGHLY recommend this CD to any chamber music fan.

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Chausson's Classic Chamber Concert

The Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet has to be counted among Chausson's best works, and in my opinion it is one of the best and most often overlooked pieces in all chamber music. The first two movements, Decide and Sicilienne, are smooth and delightful. In the third part, Grave, the mood turns more melancholy, and the Concert ends with the powerful, resonant Tres Anime. Perlman and Bolet are impeccable as soloists, and they are ably backed by the famous Juilliard Quartet. A great piece of music and a great performance by world class virtuosos -- what else could you possibly want.

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Inexhaustible delight

Chausson is one of those composers--it seems to be a trait especially common among the French--who produced relatively little (think Durufle, for another great example), but who produced nothing that isn't exquisite. And, in Chausson's case, the music seems to have been fully mature from day one. If I could pick only one writer of chamber music to take with me to a desert island, it would be Chausson. Hour after hour, listening after listening, it never grows old. This particular recording is wonderful. I also highly recommend the the recording of the Poème, Trio, and other pieces by Graffin, Devoyon et al. on the Hyperion label. Chausson also wrote some lovely Lieder you may want to check out. There's a good recording of these by Natalie Stutzman.

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Here's a deluxe package if ever there were one! Itzhak Perlman and Jorge Bolet join the Juilliard Quartet in a smashing performance of one of the most unusual works in all of music. Chausson's Concert (not "Concerto," please note) really is, in effect, a violin concerto in which the accompaniment is not the full orchestra but a piano quintet. Add to that the fully symphonic form of the piece, and the result is a unique musical creation that remains one of the chamber-music repertoire's best-kept secrets. Listen to this recording, and you'll be amazed that the music's not better known. --David Hurwitz

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Tracks
Concert, for violin, piano & string quartet in D major, Op. 21: D?cid? | Concert, for violin, piano & string quartet in D major, Op. 21: Sicilienne | Concert, for violin, piano & string quartet in D major, Op. 21: Grave | Concert, for violin, piano & string quartet in D major, Op. 21: Tr?s anim?

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