Franck & Fauré Piano Quintets

***** Coup de Cœur

“…The Wihan Quartet and Shikimori acquit themselves well again in the Fauré Piano Quintet No.1; taken all in all, if the coupling appeals – and Fauré and Franck make good partners in chamber music – this recording is well worth having…”

“This is a forceful performance, mature in every sense, and the Wihan Quartet know how to imbue it with grand passion without lapsing into garish sentimentality and Shikimori matches them at every turn. The ensemble is immaculate with enough give and take to let individual flourishes come through, each always listening but with a different contribution to the conversation. Overall… this is a disc to savour.”

“Mami Shikimori is the glue that holds the Quintets together in a very tight and thoughtful manner. This allows the Wihan Quartet to capitalize on their own brand of embellished punctuations. An irresistible winner at best.”

“This beautifully recorded juxtaposition of two three-movement, minor-key, harmonically progressive French masterpieces — the other being Fauré’s Piano Quintet No 1 in D minor — makes for a deeply satisfying disc. Both achieve a balance of the string and keyboard forces, avoiding the clatter of an overdominant piano, and sporting exquisite tintinnabulations such as in the Franck’s central Lento or the Fauré’s opening stretch.”