Search - Cesar Franck, Stéphane de May :: Franck: Trios Op. 1

A Very Belgian Production...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 09/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

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César-Auguste-Guillaume-Hubert Franck had quite a long gestation period as a composer--(an aspect he shares with Bruckner)--only breaking into full-flower in later-middle age.



Still, these two piano Trios (c. 1840) adumbrate later greatness.



No.1, in the ultra-Romantic key of f#-minor, features Franck's first use of the cyclical method while expanding tonalities unto distant reigons (db-minor!). At :34mins, this is a large concert piece.



Trio No. 2, in the congenial key of Bb-major, is a cheerful "Salon" piece which nevertheless features Franck's massive chordal writing with thundering octave passage-work (:24mins).



Small Belgian label almost too European with Dutch, French, German, and English notes (in that order!). Nice price.

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