Fauré: Piano Quartets, Op. 15 & Op.45 Quartetto Werther

• Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924): Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15:
• 1 Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15: I. Allegro Molto Moderato 09:44
• 2 Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15: II. Scherzo. Allegro Vivo 05:59
• 3 Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15: III. Adagio 07:09
• 4 Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15: IV. Allegro Molto 08:25
• Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 45:
• 5 Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 45: I. Allegro Molto Moderato 11:13
• 6 Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 45: II. Allegro Molto 03:39
• 7 Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 45: III. Adagio Non Troppo 10:31
• 8 Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 45: IV. Allegro Molto 09:12
• Total Runtime 01:05:52

Info for Fauré: Piano Quartets, Op. 15 & Op.45

Elusive masterpieces of late-Romantic chamber music newly recorded by a young, much-praised Italian ensemble.

Established in Rome in 2016, the Quartetto Werther has already carried off several prizes at chamber-music competitions in its native Italy, and its members have been winners of several competitions for young musicians such as the Premio Geminiani awarded in 2019 to violinist Martina Santarone. As an ensemble they have studied with the Trio di Parma and the Cuarteto Casals, among others.

With this release, their debut commercial recording, the Quartetto Werther has produced finely calibrated, beautifully engineered versions of the two piano quartets which make an ideal introduction to the voice of Gabriel Fauré in the realm of chamber music. The romantic, passionate melodies of the Op.15 celebrated Quartet in C minor are enclosed within relatively strict classical forms, with a songlike Adagio at its expressive heart. The Op.45 Quartet in G minor – something of a signature work for the Quartetto Werther – demonstrates a much bolder departure from the Classical tradition in terms of both structure and harmony. Some of its most striking moments include a mercurial Scherzo and a languorous Adagio.

Despite the association of both keys with tragic and heroic forces – in the Fifth symphonies of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, for example – Fauré always balances intensity of feeling with a concern for elegance and formal lucidity. As he remarked to his fellow composer Florent Schmitt: ‘To express that which is within you with sincerity, in the clearest and most perfect manner, would seem to me the ultimate goal of art.’ When placed side by side in the Quartetto Werther’s deeply sympathetic interpretations, it is difficult to understand why the superbly crafted and melodically generous Second Quartet has never managed to achieve the popularity of the First, but their recording should win it many new friends.

Fauré’s two Piano Quartets count among his best known and most frequently performed chamber music works. They are exquisitely crafted works, in which romantic, passionate melodies seamlessly fit into their classical forms while displaying luxurious late-Romantic textures. The musical language of Fauré is a unique and highly personal fusion of Brahmsian textures and the mercurial, floating melos of Debussy and Ravel, neither of which composers are literally quoted or even traced.

The Italian Quartetto Werther was formed in 2016 and has already won several important chamber music competitions, and appeared at international festivals.

Quartetto Werther

Quartetto Werther
was awarded the Third Prize at the Concorso Internazionale di Musica da Camera “Trio di Trieste”, the Second Prize at the Concorso internazionale di Musica da Camera, Premio “L. Boccherini” and won the 2019 “Premio A. Burri” Prize, promoted by the 52nd Festival delle Nazioni.

The Quartett was established in Rome in 2016 and has recently been invited to participate at the 10th Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, part of the World Federation of International Music Competitions that will be held in Japan in 2021. Quartetto Werther was also awarded the XXXIX Franco Abbiati Prize (2020) by the National Association of Music Critics in Italy.

Endorsed by the Associazione Musica con le Ali, Quartetto Werther is making its name on the Italian chamber music scene. The ensemble has performed numerous concerts and participated in important Festivals and associations including Unione Musicale in Turin, Bologna Festival, Perugia Musica Classica, IUC, Società dei Concerti in Parma, Moscow International House of Music, Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Amici della Musica di Palermo, Fondazione Musicale “Santa Cecilia” in Portogruaro, Andermatt Music, Paganini Genova Festival Teatro Ristori in Verona, and Teatro “La Fenice” in Venice.

Quartetto Werther has perfected its preparation under the guidance of Trio di Parma and Pierpaolo Maurizzi attaing the Postgraduate in Chamber Music with Honors at the “A. Boito” Conservatory in Parma in 2018. The ensemble participated in the International Chamber Music Campus, an initiative of Jeunesse Musicale Deutschland at the Weikersheim Castle, perfecting its repertoire with the Cuarteto Casals and with Vivian and Donald Weilerstein.

Patrick Jüdt (ECMA) and Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartett) have also contributed profoundly to the artistic development of the ensemble. Quartetto Werther is a member of Le Dimore del Quartetto and is currently attending the chamber music course at the Accademia Nazionale di “Santa Cecilia” in Rome.

Besides the concert carreer, Quartetto Werther is also one of the chamber music teachers at the Avos Chamber Project in Rome.

Booklet for Fauré: Piano Quartets, Op. 15 & Op.45