GEOFFROY COUTEAU, NICOLAS BALDEYROU ∙ AMAURY COEYTAUX, ANTOINE DREYFUSS 21 The Adagio mesto is a sublime meditation in the sombre key of E flat minor, underpinned by the hymnlike piano chords, before the violin melody, mingling with the horn, enters in a sorrowful plaint. One is reminded of the purity and legendary tone of the Four Ballades for piano op.10. This is followed by an exposed motif for horn alone, echoed by the violin and then the piano, which dialogues with the other two instruments in a moment of suspended animation. A vaguely sinister crescendo leads to the return of the initial chords. Lamentation once again dominates all. In this atmosphere of otherworldly desolation, a distant, mysterious reminder of the work’s first theme emerges. The aura of legend is at its height. The movement closes with a brief outburst of despair before everything finally sinks into the abyss. The finale, Allegro con brio, provides a vivid contrast in its overt, direct joy, as if releasing the foregoing tension. This is a real ‘hunt’, brilliantly led by the violin and horn over the syncopated piano accompaniment, with an energy occasionally interrupted by more pensive moments. A whirling gallop at top speed, with its horn calls and its uninhibited fanfares, which brings this intensely original and still sadly neglected masterpiece to an exuberant close.
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