The Nash Ensemble – Bruch: String Quintets & Octet (2017) [Hyperion FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Music which belies the date and circumstances of its composition. All three works were written in the immediate aftermath of World War I, yet inhabit a sound world of Brahmsian richness and warmth—very much the product of the composer of the famous Violin Concerto. The Nash Ensemble are ideal interpreters.

4* You would never guess that these amiable, good-natured pieces were the product of Max Bruch’s declining years, or indeed that they were written at the end of the first world war, when his fellow Germans were facing severe privations at home and defeat at the front. As he sailed serenely past his 80th birthday, he chose to return to chamber music in a late flowering of creative endeavour. The always rewarding Nash Ensemble add warmth and grace to the sprightly String Quintet in E flat major and bring verve and attack to its edgier A minor companion, but it is in the magnificent String Octet that the players finally allow the sun to truly shine. Recommended. -The Observer, 26 Mar’17

4* – These three very likeable chamber offerings by Max Bruch (1838-1920) all written in Berlin towards the very end of his career receive joyously assured treatment from the distinguished members of The Nash Ensemble on this truthfully engineered Hyperion release…Tully Potter supplies a personable and authoritative booklet-essay, and collectors with a sweet tooth will find the disc as a whole well worth seeking out. -Classical Ear, Apr’17

This is a superb account. The Nash Ensemble have a natural feeling for the music s ebb and flow, and while they’re not afraid of big gestures and the bite of horsehair and rosin, they play beautifully as an ensemble, with the players responding to each other, and a real feeling of intimacy. /// The Nash Ensemble members (including Stephanie Gonley, Laura Samuel, Lawrence Power and Adrian Brendel) play superbly and devotedly and are tangibly recorded. Highly recommended./// -Gramophone, May’17/// Classical Choice, June’17

Tracklist

Max Bruch (1838-1920)

String Quintet in E flat major Op posth.[17’13]
01. Andante con moto [2’53]02. Allegro [3’24]03. Andante con moto [4’56]04. Andante con moto – Allegro ma non troppo vivace [6’00]

String Quintet in A minor Op posth.[23’23]
05. Allegro [9’20]06. Allegro molto [3’36]07. Adagio non troppo [3’45]08. Allegro [6’42]

String Octet in B flat major Op posth.[22’08]
09. Allegro moderato [10’04]10. Adagio [6’20]11. Allegro molto [5’44]

Download:

mqs.link_TheNashEnsembleBruchStringQuintetsctet20172496Hyperin.part1.rar
mqs.link_TheNashEnsembleBruchStringQuintetsctet20172496Hyperin.part2.rar