String Quintets by Adolphe Blanc (1828-85)

[Alan Howe]

From Es-Dur:
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Es-Dur/ES2046

[Mark Thomas]

An Octet by Blanc, coupled with one by Reicha, played by Consortium Classicum, used to be available on CD from Orfeo. Very pleasant, if a mite old-fashioned for its time, as I recall.

[eschiss1]

Several of his works can be skimmed/downloaded/&c on IMSLP and seem interesting to me. (I was confused by the "quintets" and thought that this was quartets instead, in fact, of which he also wrote at least 4 (published, anyway), but his 3rd of that sequence is in F major, not D.)  Glad that more works of his are being recorded, based on what I can tell from his scores(/parts/etc.)

[eschiss1]

Hrm. Thought I hadn't seen these quintets in our IMSLP worklist for Blanc, but they're there. The 5th is listed in the Bibliographie de la France as published in 1858 by Richault of Paris, and the others have opus numbers - I'm guessing at least many of them were also published after all. The CD might be already out, rather than just out soon, for all I know. Will try to get a listen soon then myself, as I said he seems to have a decent melodic gift (&c)... (and I recall someone talking about having played one of his 2 string sonatas, or am I thinking of someone else?...)
(Hrm.
Another quintet- with piano and winds- is available on another chamber music CD of music by Blanc.
I also see that the 7 string quintets- some with, some without double bass- cover a lot of Blanc's career, from op.15 early on to op.50 published in 1866 (admittedly a-ways before his last string quartet, published 1877, or some other chamber music published 1884/85.) No sign that Es-dur will do a complete cycle, though, but then I'd be the only one who'd care about that, it's true...)