Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Piano Quintet (1919)
String Trio (1936)
String Quartet (1966)
Utrecht String Quartet
Ilona Timchenko (piano)
rec. 2025, Konzerthaus Abter, Marienmünster, Germany
MDG 603 2388-2 [61]
I find Frank Martin a very rewarding composer. His expressive melodies, pungent harmonies, lively rhythms and a slight air of melancholy make his music most attractive. Here we have three significant chamber works in excellent performances.
The Piano Quintet is an early work, written before Martin had fully found his mature style. You can hear echoes of César Franck – he had been obsessed by Franck’s Prélude, aria et final – and of Bach. There are four movements. The first is in a rich chromatic idiom. The second, although marked Tempo di Minuetto, is actually a scherzo, light-hearted and very characteristic of the mature Martin. There is then a lamenting Adagio and a cheerful finale.
Martin wrote the String Trio when he felt that the traditional harmonies of the romantic idiom had been used up. He adopted some elements of Schoenberg’s serial technique for this work. It is intense and relatively short – its three movements take up less than fifteen minutes. Two slow movements enclose a short quick one. The level of dissonance is higher than in most of Martin’s work, and the melodies more angular, but it still sounds well. I had not come across this work before, so was very pleased to find it here. It is, incidentally, much easier listening than Schoenberg’s later String Trio, also a masterpiece.
Finally, we have Martin’s only String Quartet, a late work. The first of four movements is mysterious and lyrical. There follows a brief, leaping scherzo, a severe, rather mournful slow movement and a finale which settles down to a kind of march. This is a strange and complex work.
The Utrecht String Quartet (new to me) have made many recordings, including some rarities. They are completely under the skin of this sometimes elusive music. In the Piano Quintet, they are joined by the Ukrainian pianist Ilona Timchenko, a versatile musician who has won many prizes. The recording is good, cut at a slightly higher level than I am used to, but a touch on the volume knob dealt with that. The Piano Quintet and the String Quartet have been recorded several times. The String Trio is a rarity – do not confuse it with Martin’s Trio on Irish folk tunes, which is a piano trio.
This is a valuable recital.
Stephen Barber
Previous review: Hubert Culot
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