Piano Quintet (1919)
String Quartet (1967)
Pavane couleur du temps, for string quintet (1920)

Hopefully this new recording of chamber music works by Swiss composer Frank Martin (1890-1974) should prove once and for all that this uniquely nonconformist 20th century composer has always been unfairly overlooked. Apart from a handful of recordings focused on his music, most of his output is presented piecemeal alongside other composers music. Oddly enough for a modern composer, he had a proclivity for writing vocal and choral works, his Mass for Double Choir for example is something anyone interested in choral music should acquire. He composed various concertos and orchestral works as well as much chamber music. He wasn't as prolific as many of his contemporaries, but the old adage 'quality over quantity' well applies to his music.

Sidestepping formal stringency, his music speaks straight from the heart, a quality highly apparent within his early Piano Quintet, which is played as such with much conviction by the Quatuor Terpsycordes and pianist Fabrizio Chiovetta. Contrary to most quintets, the piano doesn't play a leading role here but rather underpins the darkly emotive character of the music, a setting that proves very effective. And the String Quartet, written 50 years later and despite its more incisive and angular harmonic tone, still speaks with the same personal spirit. Strangely enough, the first few notes of its Larghetto movement almost sound like a present day version of Bach's Air on the G String, paired down to its fundamental essence.

Although Frank Martin's music detached itself from post-romanticism, it never became as self-absorbed or acerbic like most of his counterparts. He remained true to the expressive aspects of music all his life, and the three pieces on this CD are perfect examples of this. If you've never heard this composer's work before, this recording could very well be a great introduction.