Florestan Quintet Photo: Chamber Music New Zealand
The members of the Florestan Quintet are from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School in Christchurch: Ella Chen, Pippa Anderson (violins), Juliet Park (viola), Elise Tian (cello) and Polly Lee (piano).
If 1840 was Robert Schumann’s 'Year of Song', then 1842 was his 'Year of Chamber Music', the year he created his three String Quartets, and the Quartet and Quintet for Piano and Strings.
It was also the year, he and his wife Clara considered moving abroad to America, a place that was increasingly becoming a haven for disaffected German (and other European) artists at the time. But they abandoned their plans because of the great gulf that separated America from home.
After its première Schumann's piano quintet was widely acclaimed and frequently imitated. Its success firmly established the piano quintet as a significant, and quintessentially Romantic, chamber music genre.
However, the Quintet failed to impress at least one discriminating listener. Franz Liszt heard the piece performed at Schumann's home and described it as "somewhat too Leipzigerisch", referring to the conservative music of composers from Leipzig, especially Felix Mendelssohn.
Recorded 7 August 2021 at The Piano, Christchurch by RNZ Concert
Producer/Sound engineer: Darryl Stack
