Search - Vierne, Athenaeum, Tacchino :: Chamber Music: Piano Quintet / String Quartet

An almost unbearably sad piece

Evan Wilson | Cambridge, MA | 10/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Louis Vierne's Piano Quintet is one of the most personal utterances by any composer I've ever heard. It was written after the composer learned that his son--a minor whom he had allowed to enlist--had been killed during the First World War. It is an almost unbearably sad piece. The quintet is built around a memorable, winding theme which is announced by the piano at the very beginning and reappears in various guises throughout the piece. In the first movement, the tone is one of unending grief tempered only occasionally by exhaustion. The grief is tempered early in the second movement by nostalgia but breaks through later in an anguished outburst. The finale seems driven by anger. If asked what this piece sounds like, I'd describe it as clearly French. The sound world reminds me of the lush and passionate sonorities of Chausson's Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet without the obvious virtuosic elements of that piece. It is much deeper emotionally as well. Harmonically it has echoes of Debussy in addition to Chausson. Vierne's String Quartet comes from much earlier in his career and is much less substantial piece. It has pleasant moments and a very entertaining finale which is rather stylistically out-of-place with its Bachian counterpoint. I'll listen to it from time to time, but the reason to get this is the Quintet.I have a terrific recording of Gabriel Tacchino doing solo music of Prokofiev and this disc furthers my appreciation of his talents. He and his compatriots really dig into the Quintet and unearth Vierne's agony for all to hear. I defy anyone not to be moved by their playing and by this piece. The sound is rich and resonant.I noticed recently that Hyperion has also released Vierne's Quintet (with Reynaldo Hahn's Piano Quintet). It's heartening to see two recordings of this work because it certainly deserves repertory status. Now, if someone would just offer a live performance near where I live!"

Excellent performances of lesser-known works

chefdevergue | Spokane, WA United States | 10/12/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Normally, one would associate the name Louis Vierne with his sprawling organ symphonies, but as this CD demonstrates, he was more than equal to the task of composing chamber music. The quartet is a student composition, written when Vierne was 24. It is an interesting early work, but like most student compositions, lacks the punch of more mature works.Such is the case here, as one listens to the Piano Quintet, written in 1917-1918. One can detect the influence of Franck throughout the piece, but it is clearly more than a derivative monument to an earlier generation. Harmonically and rhythmically, particularly in the intense 3rd movement, this piece is definitely a work of the 20th century.It is a piece permeated with heartbreak, as Vierne's son Jacques was killed in World War I during the quintet's composition. Jacques was only 17 and had received his father's permission to serve in the war. As a result, Vierne was consumed with grief and guilt as he wrote this piece, which is dedicated to his son. In the first movement one can sense the heartbreak; in the second movement, the melancholy; in the third movement, a rush of violent, intense of emotions.The performances are top notch in every respect. The only quibble I have is with the sound. Most of the time the sound quality is quite good, but there are moments when it sounds like the violinists, in particular, are playing in a barn. It can cause a momentary distraction from an otherwise stirring performance."