Recording the Piano Quintets op. 1 (1895) and op. 26 (1914) of Ernő Dohnányi is a task that requires an understanding of the shared and the unique challenges of the two works. Although both bear the passion and well-known fervour of the composer, the 19-year time span between the composition of the two quintets resulted in musical developments that demand understanding of the requisite performance aspects of each piece. Although some groups prefer to pair one of the quintets with other chamber works by Dohnányi or other Romantic composers, the recordings that include both quintets offer a clear and concise view of the progression of Dohnányi’s formal and stylistic development within one genre over nearly two decades. The various tempo changes, transitions and hemiolas of the first quintet require careful planning, while the later quintet’s tempi and transitions are more easily managed. However, in both quintets, proper melodic balance of the motives is paramount. Given the thickness of the texture, this can be an elusive goal.

The insightful performance of the Trio Nota Bene along with Shmuel Ashkenasi (violin) and Nobuko Imai (viola) demonstrates a clear understanding of the stylistic parameters of the two quintets. Clarity and balance are the hallmarks of this recorded performance. These attributes apply to every aspect of the music – melodic balance, phrasing and articulation, dynamics and overall expression. While it may be tempting to overplay the crescendos of the homophonic passages or to extend the dynamics of a solo line beyond the intent of the composer, these excesses are never apparent in this performance. In fact, the interplay of each solo line resembles a conversation between voices, sometimes coming together in homophonic passages. Although each part could be considered virtuosic in many passages, the piano writing is expectedly so, given the abilities of the composer on the instrument. Consequently, the pianist must be particularly diligent to maintain the appropriate balance between accompanimental modesty and soloistic display. Pianist Lionel Monnet certainly demonstrates that ability in these performances.

The task of interpreting the wishes of a given composer inevitably begins with the score, then when possible, leads to recordings and live performances. Even though Dohnányi made relatively few recordings, a recent publication gives added insight into the composer’s own performances of his chamber and solo music. Drawing from the Dohnányi Collection of the Archives for 20th–21st Century Hungarian Music of the Institute for Musicology (Budapest, Hungary), the compilation includes mid-twentieth-century unpublished performances of Dohnányi’s music and that of other composers performed by Dohnányi and his colleagues from the years in the United States while he was teaching at Florida State University in Tallahassee.Footnote ¹ The collection includes Dohnányi as pianist for movements of the Piano Quintet op. 1. His performance is true to the performance practices of the day and to his own interpretive reputation as related by his contemporaries and as evidenced in other recordings. With respect to only one aspect of the performance, the tempi could be considered to be somewhat erratic by modern standards. Dohnányi often accelerated – usually at the ends of phrases – and occasionally slowed down unexpectedly. Although such choices were common in their time, current performance practices have become more homogenized, with steadier tempi and a more regulated mode of expression. The Trio Nota Bene recording captures the passion of Dohnányi’s music in the quintets, while still adhering to modern conventions of style and practice. It is interesting to compare the two performances of the second movement of the Quintet op. 1, with its abundant hemiolas. Dohnányi’s tempo fluctuates throughout these tricky rhythms, while the Trio Nota Bene recording reveals a consistent steady tempo. There is flexibility, but in the context of a stable tempo. Although in this regard, the recordings are virtual opposites, the musical effect remains the same, since musical passion can be expressed in a variety of means.

Even though Dohnányi’s music fell out of favour in the years during and after World War Two, it is clear that the quintets have gained a place in the standard chamber repertoire. YouTube is filled with many performances of one or both of the quintets by ensembles of all ages and experience. In the past two decades alone, the quintets have been commercially recorded well over ten times, with several recordings of both quintets in a single release. Most ensembles that record the quintets are established professional quartets with a guest pianist. The Trio Nota Bene recording is somewhat of an anomaly in that they are a trio with added string players, both of whom were former members of the acclaimed Vermeer Quartet. Both had worked on performance and recording projects with the Trio previously, so the collaboration between the players is obviously comfortable and natural.

Other recordings of the quintets have at times suffered from recording spaces that add unnecessary resonance. The hall employed for this recording (the Salle de musique at the Théâtre populaire romand (La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland)) offers a setting that allows for a good combination of resonance and clarity, with an overall effect that is surprisingly intimate. Technological developments in sound engineering are increasingly advanced, but the choice of this space seems to have provided the perfect environment for the musical forces to be managed.

The CD is attractively packaged with extensive notes in French, German and English. The notes are scholarly and informative, written by three experts on Dohnányi’s music and performance: Yaël Hêche, Verena Naegele and Veronika Kusz.