This release contains several rare pieces among the chestnuts. Ravel's Introduction is well known both in the concert
hall and on recordings, the latter including a composer-led (or -supervised) acoustic set currently available from
Music & Arts. I won't recap the competition here other than to note as well two current favorites -- a version
headed by Ann Mason Stockton (on Testament) and a dazzling realization that involves Yolanda Kondonassis (on Telarc).
The Prazak Quartet (whose members are violinists Vacláv Remes and Vlastímil Holek, violist Josef
Kluson, and cellist Michal Kanka) performs admirably, and a fine sense of ensemble is projected throughout, although
the reading does not have quite the incisiveness and intensity that groups more in tune with French traditions
might have conveyed.
Likewise the Debussy Sonata will be familiar to most readers. This is an instrumental combination that has attracted
a host of imitators (including a new piece by Duke-based composer Stephen Jaffe premiered last season), but for
many listeners the Debussy has never been bettered. There's solid competition from groups including flutist William
Bennett (on Chandos) and John Wummer (on Ambassador), together with a famous historic rendition featuring Marcel
Moyse (on Pearl), but the present reading is thoroughly acceptable. (It may be of interest to some that Phelps
is principal violist of the New York Philharmonic.)
What sets this CD apart, however, are the remaining pieces. Saint-Saëns's chamber music seems to be enjoying
a mini-renaissance, thanks in part to these Tucson visitors and to the Miami String Quartet, whose recent CD of
the two quartets (on Conifer) may help prompt a reevaluation of the composer's more intimate scores. Suk is a known
entity, of course, and he and Englichova play this Fantasy as if their lives depended on it, but other recorded
performances are available, so prospective purchasers may well be swayed by the companion works in each case if
the Saint-Saëns is the main objective. The prolific Absil (1893-1974) is underrepresented in current catalogs
but seems a true soul mate to the others. (Debost is flute chair at Oberlin.) Tournier (1879-1951) is underrepresented,
too, although Images, which depicts Middle Eastern scenes and is flavored accordingly, is available in a CBC set
that also includes the Ravel Introduction, among other things.
The Tucson CD stems from live performances in March 1996 (save for the Absil, recorded the previous year), but
the audiences are mostly quiet and applause does not interrupt the music. It's an attractive addition to the catalog
and will doubtless serve as a fine souvenir for those who attended these stimulating performances and be welcomed
as well by general chamber-music enthusiasts, particularly those interested in French and Belgian repertoire.
John W. Lambert
Copyright © Fanfare: The magazine for serious record collectors