Rachmaninov: Études-Tableaux - Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Fauré Quartett

• Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943): Études-Tableaux:
• 1 Études-Tableaux: Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Op. 39/6 (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz) 02:58
• 2 Études-Tableaux: The Sea and the Seagulls, Op. 39/2 (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz) 07:48
• 3 Études-Tableaux: The Fair, Op. 33/6 (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz) 01:53
• 4 Études-Tableaux: Funeral March, Op. 39/7 (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz) 08:18
• 5 Études-Tableaux: March, Op. 39/9 (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz) 03:33
• Modest Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881): Pictures at an Exhibition:
• 6 Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade I (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 01:33
• 7 Pictures at an Exhibition: The Gnome (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 02:36
• 8 Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade II (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 01:06
• 9 Pictures at an Exhibition: The Old Castle (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 04:27
• 10 Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade III (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 00:34
• 11 Pictures at an Exhibition: Tuileries (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 01:08
• 12 Pictures at an Exhibition: Bydlo (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 03:00
• 13 Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade IV (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 00:59
• 14 Pictures at an Exhibition: Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 01:12
• 15 Pictures at an Exhibition: Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 02:21
• 16 Pictures at an Exhibition: Limoges (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 01:12
• 17 Pictures at an Exhibition: The Catacombs (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 02:20
• 18 Pictures at an Exhibition: Cum mortuis in lingua mortua (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 02:19
• 19 Pictures at an Exhibition: The Hut on Fowl's Legs - Baba Yaga (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 03:25
• 20 Pictures at an Exhibition: The Great Gate at Kiev (Arr. By Dirk Mommertz & Grigory Gruzman) 05:03
• Total Runtime 57:45

Info for Rachmaninov: Études-Tableaux - Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

The internationally renowned Fauré Quartett is re-leasing the world's first-ever recording of Pictures at an Exhibition and Études-Tableaux in their versions for piano quartet on the Berlin Classics label.

It's the Roaring Twenties. That musical jack-of-all-trades, Sergei Koussevitsky, Director of Music with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for twenty-five years, commissions the orchestration of two world-famous works: Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky and the Études-Tableaux by Sergey Rachmaninoff. And who does Koussevitsky choose for this task? Why, none other than the two great composers Maurice Ravel and Ottorino Respighi.Their orchestrations lay the foundations for numerous other arrangements of those works. More than 80 years later, Dirk Mommertz, a member of and pianist with the Fauré Quartett, has arranged both of these works anew this time for piano quartet.

A chamber-music ensemble, with piano and strings, is ideally suited to present the entire tonal spectrum, explains Dirk Mommertz. Violinist Erika Geldsetzer, violist Sascha Frömbling, cellist Konstantin Heidrich and Mommertz at the piano have been an entity for over 25 years now and are justifiably acknowledged as one of the most influential piano quartets in the world. They are renowned for branching out into new territory; they are not afraid of leaving the well-trodden path, so it comes as no surprise that the Fauré Quartett have recorded for the first time, and are about to release, their own arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition and the Études-Tableaux on one album.

The mesh of relationships which binds Mussorgsky's composition of 1874 and Rachmaninoff's of 1911-1918 with Koussevitsky's commissions to Ravel and Respighi, now ends 150 years later with the Fauré Quartett in the 21st century. The versions for piano quartet bring to the works an unexpected palette of colours. They are flexible, yet dense; more tangible than when played by a whole orchestra, yet none the less thrilling works possessing unique soul and intense colouring, with as-yet-unheard facets and turns; works that exhibit great spans of upheaval and fading tranquillity.

Fauré Quartett

Fauré Quartett
The requirements have changed. Whoever is playing chamber music today can’t be limited to the rules from decades ago. The expectations regarding the diversity of repertoire have changed, which creates room for ensembles like the Faure Quartett, which has established itself as one of the world’s leading piano quartets within just a few years. Dirk Mommertz (piano), Erika Geldsetzer (violin), Sascha Frömbling (viola) and Konstantin Heidrich (cello) use the opportunities arising from these developments. They discover new sound fields in chamber music and perform compositions outside the mainstream repertoire.

They are visionary in their approach and highly regarded for their experiments and discoveries; be it performances with the NDR Big Band, collaborations with artists like Rufus Wainwright or Sven Helbig, appearances in clubs like the Berghain, Cocoon Club or “Le Poisson Rouge” in New York or TV shows in KIKA or “Rhapsody in School”, getting children excited in chamber music. When they released their album “Popsongs” in 2009, there was a great deal of buzz in the press and audience. In the following year, the ensemble was awarded the ECHO Classic for their album “classic beyond borders”, their second award after their recording of Brahms’ piano quartets (Chamber Music recording of the year, 2008). Other prizes include the German Music Competition, the ensemble prize from Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, international competition and recording awards, Music Prize Duisburg and Brahms prize Schleswig Holstein.

The musicians of the Faure Quartett are pioneers in many ways. After they met during their studies in 1995 in Karlsruhe for the 150th anniversary of Gabriel Faure, they quickly realized, that this combination offered new insights into undiscovered repertoire. In 2006, they signed a contract with Deutsche Grammophon, promoting them to the Champions League of the classic music business. They made highly regarded benchmark-recordings with works by Mozart, Brahms, Mendelssohn and pop songs from Peter Gabriel and Steely Dan.

Worldwide tours raise their profile abroad and international masterclasses are part of their work with students. The members teach at the universities of Berlin and Essen. Moreover, they are Artistic Directors of “Festspielfrühling Rügen” as well as ‘Quartet in Residence’ at the University of Music Karlsruhe. During their tours, the musicians appear in the world’s most important chamber music venues; including Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Berlin Philharmony, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires and Wigmore Hall London. All these mosaics form a unique profile for this defining chamber music ensemble.

This album contains no booklet.