Andrea Lucchesini & Quartetto di Cremona - Saint-Saëns: Piano Quintet & String Quartet No. 1 (2016)

Six Italians and one Frenchman: a consummate realisation of Saint-Saëns multifaceted musical idiom These two chamber works represent Camille Saint-Saëns early perfection and his expressive classical mature style. Brilliance and an unerring sense of form; calm, melancholy resting and energetic gestures; romantic vocal qualities and exquisite compositional art the contrasts characterising Saint-Saëns musical idiom are perfectly realised by the Quartetto di Cremona. Six Italians and one Frenchman: a consummate realisation of Saint-Saëns multifaceted musical idiom. For its latest CD featuring works by Camille Saint-Saëns, the award-winning Quartetto di Cremona draws on sixteen years of giving concerts and making recordings. Leading Italian pianist Andrea Lucchesini joins the ensemble for the Piano Quintet: the third movement of the work is presented here in the rare version adding a double bass (ad lib.).

These two chamber music works of the French composer represent crucial stages in his oeuvre: the Piano Quintet, a work of early perfection, demonstrates Saint-Saëns engagement with German Romanticism, particularly with Robert Schumann and his formal idiom. The String Quartet, marking the transition into his late style, represents the first chamber piece in which Saint-Saëns leaves out his own instrument, the piano. Here, his version of the classical style clear forms and a colourful expressive spectrum becomes especially clear. Brilliance and an unerring sense of form; calm, melancholy resting and energetic gestures; romantic vocal qualities and exquisite compositional art the contrasts characterising Saint-Saëns musical idiom are perfectly realised by the Quartetto di Cremona.

Tracklist:
01. Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 14: I. Allegro moderato e Maestoso - Andrea Lucchesini & Quartetto di Cremona
02. Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 14: II. Andante Sostenuto - Andrea Lucchesini & Quartetto di Cremona
03. Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 14: III. Presto - Andrea Lucchesini, Andrea Lumachi & Quartetto di Cremona
04. Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 14: IV. Allegro assai, ma Tranquillo - Andrea Lucchesini & Quartetto di Cremona
05. String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 112: I. Allegro - Quartetto di Cremona
06. String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 112: II. Molto allegro quasi Presto - Quartetto di Cremona
07. String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 112: III. Molto Adagio - Quartetto di Cremona
08. String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 112: IV. Allegro non Troppo - Quartetto di Cremona