Stanford: String Quintet, Piano Quintet. Vanbrugh

Piers Lane (piano), Vanbrugh Quartet

STANFORD, C.:String Quintet No.1, Piano Quintet (Previously Available as CDA 67505 (034571175058) Deleted October 2010)

This mid-priced reissue from the Vanbrugh Quartet, joined here by violist Garth Knox and pianist Piers Lane, is part of the group's acclaimed survey of Stanford's neglected chamber works. Included are the composer's String Quintet No.1 and Piano Quintet. Growing up in his native Dublin in the 1850s and '60s, Stanford was no stranger to high-quality chamber music, even if visits to Ireland's capital by pre-eminent artists of the genre were sporadic. Stanford's passion and mastery of the idiom are evident in the substantial catalogue of chamber music he produced throughout his life. His invigorating Piano Quintet dates from 1886 and transports its audience from melancholy introspection to extrovert joy and optimism. The buoyant, richly scored String Quintet No.1 features elaborate ornamental figurations resembling traditional Irish singing.

Price: $13.98