Frank Martin Musique de chambre Chiovetta Grin Quatuor Terpsychordes - CLA3081 - Claves

Avec le Quintette pour piano de 1919 et le Quatuor à cordes de 1966-67, Franck Martin nous lègue deux chefs d’œuvre de la musique de chambre du 20e siècle. Le Quintette est un modèle de grâce et d’équilibre, un ravissement dès les premières mesures avec le chant plaintif du violoncelle sur l’accompagnement touchant des violons et de l’alto puis l’apparition du piano qui reste dans un rôle de soutien rythmique et ornemental pendant toute l’œuvre. Le menuet guilleret est d’essence ravélienne. Émerge ensuite le sublime et méditatif adagio. L’œuvre s’achève par un presto en forme de feu d’artifice baigné de folklorisme. Le Quatuor à cordes est « l’un des plus admirables que l’on puisse imaginer » a écrit le musicologue Harry Halbreich et on ne saurait lui donner tort, notamment à l’écoute du Larghetto, long recueillement contemplatif de toute beauté. Œuvre de maturité et unique incursion dans le genre, le Quatuor exprime la quintessence de l’art du compositeur helvétique. La Pavane « Couleur du temps » de 1920 témoigne de l’attachement de F. Martin au génie de Ravel et illustre à nouveau son art de l’écriture élégante et mélodique. L’interprétation sensible de l’ensemble des musiciens ne mérite que des éloges. (Gérard Martin)

Chamber music meanders throughout Frank Martin’s career in a multitude of different ensembles and titles, ranging from the classical to the more unexpected, such as the Rhapsodie for string quintet with double bass, the Sonata da chiesa for viola d’amore and organ, the Ballade for trombone and piano or the Petite fanfare for brass sextet. Within this abundance, the composer approached only sparingly the most historically established genres. His only string quartet is a late work, his last chamber music piece. On the contrary, the Quintet for piano and strings and the Pavane couleur du temps are among his earliest contributions in this field. At the end of 1918, Martin married Odette Micheli, and the young couple moved to Zurich. The Quintet for piano and strings was composed in this city a few months later. The work belongs to a period during which the composer’s style gradually freed itself from post-romanticism and became more personal. Martin’s recent meeting with Ernest Ansermet coincided with a marked interest in the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, of whom the conductor was a strong advocate. The Quintet bears witness to this influence but goes far beyond it. An unusual conception of this musical genre can already be heard in the very first bars. Over a sorrowful accompaniment by the violins and viola, the cello introduces a plaintive, passionate melody. It is not until the sixteenth bar that the piano makes a timid appearance. With only a few exceptions, the piano remains in the background throughout the piece, confining itself to providing colour or rhythmic support. This is a far cry from the piano quintet tradition, which, from Johannes Brahms to Gabriel Fauré and César Franck, has placed the keyboard on an equal footing with the strings. It is in the minuet that the spirit of Ravel is most explicitly found: the dance is highly stylised here, and both the rhythmic momentum and certain pizzicato and arpeggiated chord effects recall the world of the French composer. [..]