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Atma Classique4.5
Clara et Robert Schumann: Musique de chambre pour cor
Louis-Philippe Marsolais, horn; David Jalbert and Philip Chiu, piano; Cameron Crozman and Stéphane Tétreault, cello
Atma Classique, June 2023
The gentleness of the Schumanns’ romantic compositions is not lost on the Orchestre Métropolitain’s principal horn player, Louis-Philippe Marsolais.
He demonstrates a great deal of restraint on this album through his muted performance. Marsolais’s soft notes drift along peacefully above an enthusiastic piano, played by David Jalbert. When Marsolais is prompted to play with more force, Jalbert is careful to maintain a similar volume and intensity, creating a gentle synergy between the two instruments.
The movements in the third work, Fantasiestücke, alternate between two sides of Robert Schumann’s personality: the dreamer, represented by the figure of Eusebius, and the passion-driven Florestan. Marsolais and Jalbert take this a step further. The piano’s sharp and quick notes create the image of Florestan working fiercely and diligently, while the horn trails close behind with longer-held, resonant melodies, constructing the ideals and lofty goals of Eusebius.
In the second movement of Adagio et Allegro, Marsolais casts off some of his restraint and delivers a powerful performance. Jalbert does the same when paired with a violin in Andante et variations, which yields several satisfying moments at the end of the album.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
