If you don’t know it already, Vaughan Williams’s relatively early C-minor Piano Quintet, with a single violin and a double bass (‘Trout’ territory), could well prove to be a welcome discovery – it is for me – music that is impassioned, tender and melodious. Perhaps English (Elgarian), maybe French (Ravelian), not necessarily obviously by RVW, it speaks directly to the listener in romantic terms, beautifully crafted and wholly engaging, performed splendidly by Mark Bebbington, Duncan Riddell, Abigail Fenna, Richard Harwood & Benjamin Cunningham. Riddell and Bebbington also perform The Lark Ascending in its original version for violin and piano, somewhat skeletal when set against the familiar orchestration, but sensitively handled by the duo, similarly the eloquent Romance, Bebbington now partnering Fenna productively, and the pianist rounds the disc off with Fantasia (quasi variazione) on the ‘Old 104th’ Psalm Tune (City of London Choir; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Hilary Davan Wetton), a curious fifteen-minute piece including piano cadenzas and passages for piano with chorus and orchestra, very well performed even if the music is perplexing; jubilant ending.
Excellent sound and presentation on Resonus RES10311.