César Franck; Ernest Chausson - Violin Sonata; Concert (Isabelle Faust; Alexander Melnikov)

Information

Composer: César Franck; Ernest Chausson

• Franck - Sonate pour piano et violon en la majeur
• Chausson - Concert pour piano, violon et quatuor à cordes en ré majeur, Op. 21

Isabelle Faust, violin

Alexander Melnikov, piano

Salagon Quartet

    Christine Busch, violin

    Lisa Immer, violin

    Sebastian Wohlfarth, viola

    Gesine Queyras, cello

Date: 2017

Label: harmonia mundi

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Review

Chausson’s Concert for violin, piano and string quartet is chamber music, of course, yet displays a symphonic character that justifies the title. Some performances, such as the superb Decca recording by Pierre Amoyal, Pascal Rogé and the Ysaÿe Quartet, underscore the work’s quasi-orchestral heft; others, like the classic Columbia account by Zino Francescatti, Robert Casadesus and the Guilet Quartet, present a more intimate view. In this dazzling new version, Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov and the Salagon Quartet seem to be staking out a middle ground.

Faust and the quartet use vibrato rather sparingly, which clarifies the often intricate texture and creates a luminosity that, while lacking in bite and body, conjures and maintains a spellbinding, moonlit atmosphere. Note, for example, the pearlescent opacity of the passage at 6'26" in the first movement, and the almost spectral quality at the beginning of the finale – worlds away from the playful (yet equally magical) reading by Francescatti, Casadesus et al. Yet there’s no lack of drama. Indeed, Faust, Melnikov and the Salagon frequently bring Chausson’s fascination with Wagner to the fore and even anticipate the languorous sensuality of Scriabin (listen from 4'35" in the first movement), thanks in large part to Melnikov’s judicious phrasing.

Franck’s Violin Sonata is equally impressive. Here, again, Faust uses vibrato prudently, and in general finds intense expressivity in restraint and emotional directness. Pianissimo passages beckon in secretive, confessional whispers, and the sometimes blunt rhetoric of Franck’s style is allowed to speak for itself without overemphasis or apology. The electricity of the third-movement Recitativo-Fantasia, for instance, is conveyed not with bold gestures but through quiet, sustained tension, so that even the most sparsely textured passage keeps one on the seat’s edge. Melnikov’s tone can harden in loud passages, but this may be partly the fault of the engineering, which is pleasingly resonant yet also strangely muffled. In any case, the interpretations are so committed and forthright that any occasional sonic blemish is only momentarily distracting. The Decca recording with Amoyal and Rogé offers the same coupling in better sound but seems overwrought in comparison. Those looking for greater passion and tonal warmth in this repertoire are urged to hear a recent Aparté release with Rachel Kolly d’Alba, Christian Chamorel and the Chicago-based Spektral Quartet.

— Andrew Farach-Colton

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César Franck (10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life. As an organist he was particularly noted for his skill in improvisation. Franck is considered by many the greatest composer of organ music after Bach. Franck exerted a significant influence on music. He helped to renew and reinvigorate chamber music and developed the use of cyclic form. He became professor at the Paris Conservatoire in 1872, his pupils included Vincent d'Indy, Ernest Chausson, Louis Vierne, Charles Tournemire, Guillaume Lekeu and Henri Duparc.

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Ernest Chausson (20 January 1855 – 10 June 1899) was a prominent late-19th-century French composer. After completing a law degree, he studied composition at the Paris Conservatory under Jules Massenet and César Franck. Influenced by the operas of Richard Wagner, Chausson developed a richly chromatic yet characteristically French musical style. He also supported younger composers such as Claude Debussy while serving the Société Nationale de Musique. His notable works include Poème, Symphony in B-flat Major, and the opera Le Roi Arthus, which incorporated Wagnerian leitmotifs and his own libretto.

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Isabelle Faust (born 19 March 1972) is a German violinist. She trained with Christoph Poppen and Dénes Zsigmondy. After winning the Paganini Competition, she moved to Paris and began performing regularly with the world's major orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 2004 Faust was appointed professor of violin at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 1996, she has performed on the "Sleeping Beauty" Stradivarius violin of 1704. Her numerous recordings have been praised by critics and received the Diapason d'Or, the Gramophone Award, the Choc de l'année, and other prizes.

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Alexander Melnikov (born 1973) is a Russian pianist. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Lev Naumov, and was strongly influenced by Sviatoslav Richter. Melnikov gained early recognition through major competitions in Zwickau (1989) and Brussels (1991). He is particularly noted for his engagement with historically informed performance, collaborating with leading period ensembles and artists such as Andreas Staier. He has performed internationally with prominent orchestras and conductors, and his acclaimed chamber recordings, especially with Isabelle Faust, have received major awards and critical praise.

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