Mami’s new CD with the Wihan Quartet has been released by Nimbus and the recording is currently receiving fantastic reviews.
“This beautifully recorded juxtaposition of two three-movement, minor-key, harmonically progressive French masterpieces — the other being Fauré’s Piano Quintet No 1 in D minor — makes for a deeply satisfying disc. Both achieve a balance of the string and keyboard forces, avoiding the clatter of an overdominant piano, and sporting exquisite tintinnabulations such as in the Franck’s central Lento or the Fauré’s opening stretch.” Paul Driver, The Times
The recording can be purchased here
This is a forceful performance, mature in every sense, and the Wihan Quartet know how to imbue it with grand passion without lapsing into garish sentimentality and Shikimori matches them at every turn. The ensemble is immaculate with enough give and take to let individual flourishes come through, each always listening but with a different contribution to the conversation. Overall… this is a disc to savour. –Simon Mundy, Classical Music Magazine
Mami Shikimori is the glue that holds the Quintets together in a very tight and thoughtful manner. This allows the Wihan Quartet to capitalize on their own brand of embellished punctuations. An irresistible winner at best. –Christie Grimstad, ConcertoNet.com
The following short description of the recording was written by Mami.
It contains two wonderful works, Piano Quintets by Franck and Faure. Cesar Franck is a curious figure whose masterworks were mostly written in the last 10 years of his life, i.e. in his 60s and he made sure to write one important work for each of the main musical genres, one Symphony, one Violin Sonata, one Piano Quintet, one String Quartet… and each of these works has become immortal.
Franck’s wife hated his Piano Quintet as it basically depicts Franck’s love affair with a much younger lady. It is so intensely romantic, dramatic and disturbing! A masterpiece of this genre and the epitome of Romanticism. What can I say about Faure. It is simply ecstatic.