Reynaldo Hahn: Chamber Music

Room-Music: Charles Sewart, violin; Yuko Inoue, viola; Philip De Groote, cello; Stephen Coombs, piano

Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)
Sonata in C major for violin and piano / Soliloque et Forlane / Nocturne in E flat major / Romance in A major / Piano Quartets No 3 in G major / Si mes vers avaient des ailes

It is a sad fact that the reputation and fame of many composers, built up over a lifetime, evaporates on their death bed. Si mes vers avaient des ailes, a short song written when the composer was just thirteen, is the work on which Hahn's posthumous fame had, until relatively recently, relied, and is included here in the composer's own transcription for cello and piano. Recording catalogues now reveal an ever-growing list of works--concertos, symphonic offerings, songs, piano pieces and chamber music--by this most urbane and charming composer. The C major Violin Sonata of 1926 assuredly leads us into the world of Fauré fifty years earlier, its easy lyricism and textural transparency bearing a kinship with the elder French musician's A major Sonata. This melodic suppleness is continued in Soliloque et Forlane, now with viola and piano demonstrating Hahn's skill in turning out a jaunty tune. The Nocturne and the Romance, both for violin and piano, reveal further an ability to combine passionate intensity with a sense of refined melodic and harmonic delicacy. The Piano Quartet of 1946 adopts a more muscular and impassioned character. Melodic charm and restfulness in the Andante are interrupted by the central passage which sails into troubled and expressive waters and the finale rolls gracefully to its compelling conclusion. This charming recording is the perfect showcase for Room-Music, a consortium of internationally acclaimed musicians who wish to perform and explore chamber music in a more flexible and innovative form. This is Hyperion at its best--backing a new, imaginative group in little-known, high-quality repertoire with its customary standards of presentation and recording. C'est tout aimable, génial--and heartily recommended' (BBC Music Magazine) 'A highly rewarding and beautifully recorded recital' (International Record Review) 'Les quatre interprètes jouent Reynaldo Hahn avec le naturel, l'élégance et la plus fine musicalité qu'on attend dans ces oeuvres dont le charme ne s'épuise pas' (Le Monde de la Musique, France)