Franck & Enescu - CD

On this third release from Seattle Chamber Music Society’s SCMS Records, violinist James Ehnes is joined by a remarkable ensemble of chamber musicians for two works of extraordinary intensity and ambition: César Franck’s Piano Quintet in F Minor and George Enescu’s Octet for Strings in C Major. Recorded in Nordstrom Recital Hall in Seattle, the album pairs works separated by two decades yet united by their sweeping scale, emotional urgency, and bold expansion of the possibilities of chamber music.

For Franck’s Piano Quintet, Ehnes joins pianist Inon Barnatan, violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti, violist Che-Yen Chen, and cellist Edward Arron. The work erupts with a dramatic power that startled audiences at its 1880 premiere, moving between intimate lyricism and surging, almost orchestral force. Its tightly woven themes recur and transform across all three movements, building toward a fiery conclusion and revealing why the Quintet has come to be regarded among the landmarks of the chamber music repertoire.

Enescu’s Octet brings together Ehnes, Moretti, Chen, and Arron with violinists Grace Park and Jun Iwasaki, violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, and cellist Bion Tsang. Begun while Enescu was still a teenager, the Octet is an audacious achievement: a single powerful opening idea is continually transformed across its expansive span, propelling eight strings through music of extraordinary virtuosity, complexity, and sonic richness. From fierce contrapuntal writing to moments of velvety lyricism and a sweeping final waltz, the work displays the astonishing imagination of a young composer already forging a musical language entirely his own.

César Franck: Piano Quintet in F minor 
I. Molto moderato, quasi lento — Allegro
II. Lento, con molto sentimento
III. Allegro non troppo, ma con fuoco

Recorded at Nordstrom Recital Hall, Seattle. July 8-9, 2025
Produced by Simon Kiln
Recorded by Simon Kiln with assistance from Steve Moretti

George Enescu: Octet for Strings in C Major, Op. 7
I. Très modéré
II. Très fougueux
III. Lentement
IV. Mouvement de valse bien rythmée

Recorded at Nordstrom Recital Hall, Seattle. Jan 31 — Feb 1, 2025
Produced by Simon Kiln
Recorded by Simon Kiln with assistance from Doug Tourtelot