Muza Rubackyte, Vilnius String Quartet - Franck: String Quartet, Piano Quintet (2006)

Two of César Franck's best-known chamber music compositions stemmed from the last decade or so of his life: the F minor Piano Quintet and the D major String Quartet. Both are dark, somber, even aggressive works; the Piano Quintet even carries the ominous subtitle "Combat tragique." Both are scored with very difficult instrumental parts that are never overtly virtuosic or showy. Both spend a great deal of time in each instrument's lower registers, adding to the petulant mood. And both are notoriously challenging to perform successfully. Regrettably, this Brilliant Classics album featuring the Vilnius String Quartet and pianist Mûza Rubackyté fails to live up to this challenge. The problems rest squarely on the shoulders of the string quartet, whose playing is simply unacceptable. Intonation plagues the ensemble from start to finish in both compositions and rarely do listeners get the sense that there's any cohesiveness or communication taking place between the quartet's members. Franck's quartet in particular suffers from monotonous drudgery and a feeling that the quartet is just trying to relentlessly grind its way to the end. This is especially unfortunate for Rubackyte, whose playing is quite refined, animated, and flowing, despite having to fight against her string companions. Coupled with Brilliant's distant, hazy sound quality, this album is one probably best left on the shelf.