The Richards Piano Quartet play Chausson and Martinu

Regular readers of this blog know that I have a soft spot for chamber music. Here's a very fine L'Oiseau Lyre lp c 1969 featuring the Richards Piano Quartet (named after founder-cellist Bernard Richards) performing the Piano Quartet in A of Chausson and the first piano quartet of Martinu. Indeed, very different styles these two composers, but it works well for the musicians are all top notch (the pianist is the well regarded Bernard Roberts) and they are sensitive to the contrasts between the styles of both composers. Chausson, of course, inhabits that lush world of late 19th century France while Martinu incorporates that spiky, almost jazzy quality that appeared during the 1920's. Neat stuff all around.

I could find no evidence that this record has been issued on cd. What a shame! I guess the Richards Piano Quartet did not have that kind of sexy quality that you get when you throw Barenboim, Zuckerman, Argerich...you get the idea, in the room together.


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French Music for Piano and Violin with Fistoulari conducting

Another MGM record that sparked my interest. Interesting repertoire featuring a fine conductor, two excellent orchestras, and two rather less famous soloists.

Elizabeth Lockhart, the Scottish born violinist, was actually Anatole Fistoulari's second wife. A web search turned up a few reviews of performances dating from the 1940's but little else. From the evidence here, she is a self assured player, technically sound but, not someone that I would easily remember. I suppose Ms Lockhart had a rather provincial career of teaching and playing - she passed on in 1995.

Fabienne Jacquinot is new to me too, however there is recorded evidence that she collaborated frequently enough with Fistoulari. Again, not much to find on her though she was a judge at the International Piano Competition in Andorra as recently as 2008. Jacquinot's playing is very good though not top tier. However, as with the Lockhart pieces, a conductor of Fistoulari's stature can make all the difference and it does! The Milhaud and Honegger are delightful and a pleasant treat for the ears.

Anatole Fistoulari is too often earmarked as a ballet specialist and this recording does its job to cause us to rethink that assumption. Obviously, Fistoulari was a multitalented man with a healthy repertoire whose time for reassessment is long overdue. A retrospective by Decca or EMI would be nice.

Not sure of the exact date of these recording but I'd say mid to late 50's. 

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