COMPOSERS: Faure
LABELS: Hyperion 20th Anniversary
ALBUM TITLE: Faure: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor; Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor
WORKS: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor; Piano Quartet No. 2 in G minor
PERFORMER: Domus
CATALOGUE NO: CDA 20166 Reissue (1985)
Hyperion is celebrating its 20th anniversary with ‘remastered’ versions of key recordings from its catalogue. A gimmick, maybe, but the label can be forgiven a little self-indulgence, having made itself indispensable in a crowded market. These performances of Fauré’s piano quartets from Domus are a highlight of the label and should be in every collection. The warm sound supports an exquisitely vivacious reading in which the overall direction is never lost in the finely judged minutiae. Challenges have come over the years from Pascal Rogé and the Ysaÿe Quartet (Decca) and an all-star reading on Sony including Isaac Stern and Yo-Yo Ma, while most recently the Schubert Ensemble of London (ASV) has entered the fray. The historically minded will also wish to hear Jacques Thibaud and friends on Biddulph. Nonetheless, since their original release, these sublime accounts from Domus have been without peer in this extraordinary contrasting pair of chamber masterpieces.
Christopher Dingle