Search - Nash Ensemble :: Faure: Piano Quartets in C Minor Op 15

Emotional Rescue

Confusacat | California | 07/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard this recording on a casette tape in the 80's and it quickly became a favorite. When CD's took over, a cheap, used copy of the much-lauded Domus recording of these quartets became my new go-to version. After a while I forgot why I loved these works so much.

When I finally bought the Nash ensemble recording on CD I was amazed at how an interpretation can fundamentally change a piece: with Domus all the emphasis is on elegance and refinement at the expense of the deep emotion that runs through these works. The experience is like listening to the paint dry on a Monet. But the Nash ensemble reveal the emotional intensity that makes these quartets seem at times almost tragic.

After hearing this recording again I could never go back to Domus, or the Isaac Stern All-stars or the Beaux Arts trio --all good readings. If you want some pretty French music to fall asleep to, then go for the Domus. If you want to be transfixed and transported to a place of poignant beauty then do not pass up this recording."