Par Alain Steffen – 02/07/2023

This complete recording of César Franck’s chamber music works – the second already after that of Fuga Libera – presents the wonderful and still under-appreciated chamber music of César Franck in such a way that one cannot get enough of it. Above all, Franck shows himself to be a composer as versatile as he is imaginative when it comes to trying out the various instruments in his music.

And in these recordings, one can only go into raptures, be it with the Piano Quintet, the Piano Trios, the String Quartet, or the Grand Trio that Franck composed as an 11-year-old.

The French ensemble Des Equilibres does not want to commit itself to a fixed repertoire, but shows itself to be open-minded and adventurous. It is precisely this adventurousness, this desire to gain new perspectives on sound, dynamics and colors from Franck’s music, that distinguishes these interpretations. Under the artistic direction of Agnès Pyka, who also plays the 1st violin, the listener experiences a veritable feast of musical ideas, technical skill and expressive power. It is simply a pleasure to hear how the musicians, all excellent, dialogue. This also happens with an ease and naturalness that not only carries the listener along, but also does enormous good to the music and each individual work.