Franck, C: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 14

“The Quintet performance is magnificent. …in all three works, the musicians command all the flexibility this highly expressive music needs, alongside the subtlety and discipline that leaves us feeling we're hearing the music rather than just one interpretation of it.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2007

“Here's an enticing assemblage of Franck's three greatest chamber works, all splendidly recorded and offering stylish, powerfully communicative performances. The Ysaÿe version of the Quartet is superb – warm and friendly, with a greater range of tone colour and, in the less strenuous passages, more relaxed, a performance that fully realises the music's grandeur and intensity, and clearly articulating its complex forms.
In the Sonata, Guillaume Sutre plays many of the quieter passages with extreme delicacy; in a work that's often very strongly projected, he reminds us that at many points it's an intimately reflective work. And the passionate music, too, is given full measure. Rogéacute; is a master at developing the grand sonority of Franck's piano writing, with beautifully balanced chords and arpeggios. Sutre, however, sometimes sounds a little colourless, the varied tonal palette he commands as a quartet leader momentarily deserting him.
The Quintet performance is magnificent. For this richly scored, darkly coloured work, players and engineers have combined to do full justice to the weight and depth of the textures while completely avoiding the drab sound that sometimes comes with the combination of piano and string quartet. And in all three works, the musicians command all the flexibility this highly expressive music needs, alongside the subtlety and discipline that leaves us feeling we're hearing the music rather than just one interpretation of it.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Exciting performances…driven and full of passionate intensity” Fanfare

“These works make the perfect Franck pairing; the dark, sinister mood of the Quintet offering a vivid contrast to the radiance of the Sonata. Both are imbued with Franck's passionate spirit and thrive under the Schubert Ensemble's fullblooded approach. By the time William Howard has finished the extravagant flourish leading from the slow introduction to the Quintet's first Allegro we're aware that this is to be an account that maximises its intense drama.
There's a care for accuracy, too – the way the rhythm at the start of the Quintet's finale is held in such firm control increases the sense of mounting tension. And in the Violin Sonata, Blendis and Howard make use of all Franck's numerous markings – for dynamics, speed modification and character – to get right inside the music.
You might feel that in the greatest performances of this music there's an expansiveness, a range of tone and expression, which we don't experience here. In the Sonata's first movement, as the violin melody reaches its climax and the piano takes the stage with the second theme, Howard's playing is quite dispassionate.
For truthful interpretations, powerfully projecting the character of each movement, the Schubert Ensemble can be enthusiastically recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“These works make the perfect César Franck pairing; the dark, sinister mood of the Quintet offering a vivid contrast to the radiance of the Sonata. Both are imbued with Franck's passionate spirit and thrive under the Schubert Ensemble's full-blooded approach.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2006