Monday 21 May 2012

Dvorak - Piano Quintet 2 [The Gaudier Ensemble] 

Dvorak's Chamber works are a delight, and he saves some of his very best tunes for these small ensembles, whereas other Composers might use them for a more grander scale of things, the opening of this work is one such moment, this is my favourite Dvorak disc [though not my favourite Dvorak work], i've played it so many times in the 15 years i've had it.

The Gaudier Ensemble were formed in 1989, and on this recording it includes the Pianist Susan Tomes, formerly of the Domus Piano Quartet, also recording for Hyperion, i really didn't know they recorded so many discs, theirs is a superb Chamber Music Ensemble, the front cover is a painting by Hans Thoma entitled The Rhine Near Sackingen, the Rhine here borders Germany and Switzerland, a picture that invokes the easy going pastoral nature of the works on the disc.

Here's Natalie Erlich and the Borromeo String Quartet playing the first movement Allegro on YouTube.