Guillaume Lekeu
Trio et Quatuor avec piano
Musique française « Découverte 1890-1939 », collection
Belgian composer Guillaume Lekeu graces neither concert programmes nor the pages of music history. These absences owe to the tragic brevity of his life, which typhoid fever ended the day after he turned twenty-four. Nonetheless, as composer Paul Dukas noted, in these few brief years Lekeu developed “an extraordinary maturity of thought and technique that many older composers would envy.” He cultivated these qualities with the assistance of his teachers César Franck and then Vincent d’Indy. Both championed chamber music, a sphere in which Lekeu produced some of his finest works, including the two pieces that appear on this new ATMA recording.
Founded in 2000, Trio Hochelaga rapidly distinguished itself on the Canadian musical scene as one of the country’s most important musical ensembles. Violinist Anne Robert, cellist Paul Marleyn and pianist Stéphane Lemelin share their passion for the chamber music repertoire ranging from the classical era to contemporary music. Trio Hochelaga is joined by Toronto Symphony Orchestra violist Teng Li in Lekeu’s Quartet.
SOUNDCLIPS :
Dans un emportement douloureux et très animé
Lent et passionné
IN THE NEWS :
From the trio’s arresting introduction to the quartet’s long, lyrical finale, this is music well worth programming.
Elissa Poole, The Globe and Mail, July 2012
Teng Li, violinist Anne Robert, cellist Paul Marleyn and pianist Stéphane Lemelin deliver broad-shouldered, red-blooded performances that crackle with energy and life, making for mighty fine rainy-day listening…
John Terauds, Musical Toronto, Toronto, July 2012
Trio Hochelaga has made some excellent recordings of lesser-known French repertoire (Dubois, Ropartz and Pierne) and their advocacy of Lekeu deserves the highest praise. The ensemble’s technical skills are evident in every phrase, but they also play with a unified heart and soul.
Craig Zeichner, Ariama.com, July 2012
