Elgar: Piano Quintet & String Quartet

Inspired by the rural beauty of the surroundings at his country retreat in 1917, Edward Elgar embarked on the composition of some of his most inspired and imaginative chamber works.

Both the String Quartet and the Piano Quintet are works of great depth and elegance. Their conservative style disregards the compositional trends of the time and displays an unabashed late-romanticism. Elgar wrote: ‘It is full of golden sounds and I like it. But you must not expect anything violently chromatic or cubist.’

The disc features sumptuous playing from the acclaimed Goldner String Quartet, who are joined by pianist Piers Lane for Elgar’s sublime Piano Quintet, a large-scale work of almost orchestral sonority.

These masterpieces are accompanied by four previously unrecorded works for solo piano, the last of which was written by Elgar at the age of 72. They are intimate, charming rarities, superbly performed by Lane.

CDA67857  77 minutes 28 seconds
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE DISC OF THE MONTH
GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE 2011
‘Two fine Elgar offerings … such observant, poised and (above all) irresistibly communicative playing’ (Gramophone)
‘This is one of those rare discs that gives pleasure and food for thought in equal measure … it has rarely been done as well as here. Even The Nash Ensemble don’t match the delicate, nervous sens ...
‘The Quintet is given real stature in this very fine recording, with the Goldners and Piers Lane revelling in the expansive themes of the opening moderato and the unashamedly romantic Adagio. The Gold ...