The "other" Francks: Eduard and Richard

[Lance]

I've been traversing the art of Eduard Franck [1817-1893] and his son, Richard Franck [1858-1938]. The largest portion of their compositions appears on the German Audite label, and a few things, of course, available on other labels. It is rather amazing the output of these "other" Francks (no relation to the great César Franck], largely chamber music of all kinds, violin pieces with piano, piano trios, violin/piano sonatas, all very much in the Romantic-period vein. Regarding the violin/piano sonatas, one blurb reads: "With their tonal beauty and technical mastery, the violin sonatas of Eduard Franck "represent an important contribution to the resolution of the crisis afflicting the violin sonata genre in the middle years of the nineteenth century."

Composers well worth hearing with superb recordings by Christiane Edinger, violin; James Tocco; piano, Christoph Schickedanz, violin; Thomas Blees, cello; Bernhard Fograscher, piano; Hans-Peter Frank, conductor' Maria Bergmann, piano, amongst many others.

Besides Audite, labels include Naxos, and Fermate. Highly recommended listening for some rather unknown compositions.

[jbuck919]

Whew, you had me scared for a minute. Thanks for adding that they are no relation to César, the only important Belgian composer of the common practice period. I know that I have deprecated the hideous Panis Angelicus, but he also wrote this: