Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune; Sonatas; String Quartet

by Nash Ensemble

Overview

This release by the durable Nash Ensemble, marking the group's 60th anniversary (with the same artistic director the whole time), opens with an arrangement of the Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune for wind quintet, string quartet, double bass, harp and crotales. One might reasonably ask what is the point of arranging a work whose whole point is its delicate treatment of the orchestra, but give this version by David Walter a try. Many of the work's most familiar features are retained. That is the only work on the album on which the entire large Nash Ensemble group appears. The center of the program is the group of three instrumental sonatas by Debussy, one for violin and piano, one for cello and piano, and one for the exquisite combination of flute, viola, and harp. The album's sound, from the All Saints' Church in East Finchley, London, may be a bit over-resonant for works that are not religious music, but one can hear what the engineers were going for in this sonata; the incredible range of sounds that issue from the three instruments, including the booming, twanging harp, come through in full color. These three sonatas have a rather severe neoclassical language that has impeded their popularity, but the Nash players set a deliberate and sensuous sound against that, with lovely results. In Debussy's sole string quartet, they have more competition, and there is less that is distinctive in their playing. However, for the late sonatas, and perhaps for the Prélude à l'apres-midi d'une Faune (which is really a matter of taste), this is a highly desirable release; it made classical best-seller lists in early 2025. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	03/14/2025
Label:	HYPERION
UPC:	0034571284637

Tracks

1. Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L87
2. Violin Sonata in G minor, L148~Allegro vivo
3. Violin Sonata in G minor, L148~Intermède: Fantasque et léger
4. Violin Sonata in G minor, L148~Finale: Très animé
5. Sonata for flute, viola and harp, L145~Pastorale: Lento, dolce rubato
6. Sonata for flute, viola and harp, L145~Interlude: Tempo di minuetto
7. Sonata for flute, viola and harp, L145~Finale: Allegro moderato ma risoluto
8. Cello Sonata in D minor, L144~Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto
9. Cello Sonata in D minor, L144~Sérénade: Modérément animé `
10. Cello Sonata in D minor, L144~Finale: Animé, léger et nerveux
11. String Quartet in G minor, L91~Animé et très décidé
12. String Quartet in G minor, L91~Assez vif et bien rythmé
13. String Quartet in G minor, L91~Andantino, doucement expressif
14. String Quartet in G minor, L91~Très modéré

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Nash Ensemble   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Benjamin Nabarro   Violin
Alasdair Beatson   Piano
Adrian Brendel   Cello
Simon Crawford-Phillips   Piano
Lawrence Power   Viola
Lars Anders Tomter   Viola
Stephanie Gonley   Violin
Lucy Wakeford   Harp
Jonathan Stone   Violin
Philippa Davies   Flute