James Ehnes-Led FRANCK QUINTET / ENESCU OCTET Recording Out Now

Seattle Chamber Music Society has released Franck Quintet Enescu Octet on SCMS Records. The recording is the third release from the in-house recording label of Seattle Chamber Music Society, and is available on CD, vinyl, and major digital platforms.

Recorded at Nordstrom Recital Hall in Seattle, the album features performances by violinist James Ehnes, the Gilbert Omenn and Martha Darling Artistic Director of SCMS; Inon Barnatan, piano; Edward Arron and Bion Tsang, cello; Che-Yen Chen and Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola; Timothy Cobb, bass; and violinists Jun Iwasaki, Amy Schwartz Moretti, and Grace Park. The album was produced by Simon Kiln.

The album pairs works separated by two decades yet united by their sweeping scale, emotional urgency, and bold expansion of the possibilities of chamber music. For César Franck's Piano Quintet, Ehnes joins Barnatan, Moretti, Chen, and Arron. The work erupts with a dramatic power that startled audiences at its 1880 premiere, moving between intimate lyricism and surging, almost orchestral force. Its tightly woven themes recur and transform across all three movements, building toward a fiery conclusion and revealing why the Quintet has come to be regarded among the landmarks of the chamber music repertoire.

Enescu's Octet brings together Ehnes, Moretti, Chen, and Arron with Park, Iwasaki, Pajaro-van de Stadt, and Tsang. Begun while Enescu was still a teenager, the Octet is an audacious achievement: a single powerful opening idea is continually transformed across its expansive span, propelling eight instruments through music of extraordinary virtuosity, complexity, and sonic richness. From fierce contrapuntal writing to moments of velvety lyricism and a sweeping final waltz, the work displays the astonishing imagination of a young composer already forging a musical language entirely his own.

SCMS Records, launched earlier this year, is dedicated to sharing SCMS's acclaimed performances with audiences around the world. The label releases three to four albums annually and elevates SCMS's ability to serve as a global source for excellent chamber music. Global physical and digital distribution for all recordings are handled by Naxos Music Group, with additional direct-to-consumer sales available through the SCMS website.

Track List

César Franck, Piano Quintet in F minor (34:20)
Inon Barnatan, piano; James Ehnes, violin; Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin; Che-Yen Chen, viola; Edward Arron, cello
01 I. Molto moderato, quasi lento - Allegro (15:00)
02 II. Lento, con molto sentimento (10:44)
03 III. Allegro non troppo, ma con fuoco (8:36)
George Enescu, Octet for Strings in C Major, Op. 7 (37:08)
James Ehnes, violin; Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin; Grace Park, violin; Jun Iwasaki, violin; Che-Yen Chen, viola; Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola; Edward Arron, cello; Bion Tsang, cello
04 I. Très modéré (11:48)
05 II. Très fougueux (7:45)
06 III. Lentement (9:27)
07 IV. Mouvement de valse bien rythmée (8:08)