SIR EDWARD ELGAR (1857–1934)

Piano Quintet & String Quartet

Piers Lane - piano

Goldner String Quartet

Dene Olding - violon

Dimity Hall - violin

Irina Morozova - viola

Julian Smiles – cello

String Quartet in E minor Op 83

1 Allegro moderato [8'49]

2 Piacevole (poco andante) [9'57]

3 Allegro molto [8'55]

for solo piano

4 Mina [3'06]

5 Laura Valse [2'39]

6 March in D major [4'44]

7 Impromptu [0'27]

Piano Quintet in A minor Op 84

8 Moderato – Allegro [14'40]

9 Adagio [13'08]

10 Andante – Allegro [11'03]

Inspired by the rural beauty of the surroundings at his country retreat in 1917, Edward Elgar embarked on the composition of some of his most inspired and imaginative chamber works.

Both the String Quartet and the Piano Quintet are works of great depth and elegance. Their conservative style disregards the compositional trends of the time and displays an unabashed late-romanticism. Elgar wrote: ‘It is full of golden sounds and I like it. But you must not expect anything violently chromatic or cubist.’

The disc features sumptuous playing from the acclaimed Goldner String Quartet, who are joined by pianist Piers Lane for Elgar’s sublime Piano Quintet, a large-scale work of almost orchestral sonority.

These masterpieces are accompanied by four previously unrecorded works for solo piano, the last of which was written by Elgar at the age of 72. They are intimate, charming rarities, superbly performed by Lane.

Hyperion Records CDA67857