Piano Quintets by Joseph Ryelandt and Karel Mestdagh (1850-1924)

[Martin Eastick]

This caught my eye! I like all that I have heard by the prolific Jospeh Ryelandt and am sure this won't disappoint. As his two piano quintets featured here are quite short, the CD also includes a two movement quintet by the completely forgotten Karel Mestdagh (1850-1924), who was known primarily as an organist.

[Martin Eastick]

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/karel-mestdagh-bruges-and-the-romantic-imagination/hnum/12141657

[Alan Howe]

Yes, indeed. I'd spotted this too, so I'm glad you beat me to it!

[tuatara442442]

https://youtu.be/hh_KNuz5z2k?si=qlTjyJfqe6N2t3pw
Here is the streaming video of this album

[Ilja]

Ryelandt really has proven to be a treasure trove, but the fact that we know his works in relative detail is the consequence of the weird way Belgium long financed its cultural institutions. National funds were divided up between the Gewesten (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels) and then locally (to the City of Brugues, for instance). Therefore, many composers that worked locally received a disproportionate amount of attention (e.g., De Boeck, Meulemans, Biarent, and also Ryelandt) while those with a more national significance (e.g., Gilson, Mortelmans, Jongen) remained underexposed.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for that insight, Ilja.

[Ilja]

I merely mention it (and wanted to include this in the post, but forgot to) because I think it has rather skewed our view of Belgian musical history. Today, Belgium is de facto three countries; back in Ryelandt's days (well, the first 75 years of it; he lived for 95 years) it would have been different, and he was very far away from the country's musical centres: logistically from Brussels because he lived in Flanders; and ideologically from Antwerp, because he was a francophone. I think you might compare his status to that of people like Paul Lacombe or Philippe Gaubert in France. That's not to detraction from them in any way, quite the opposite: in Ryelandt's case such relative isolation led to a very refined personal style, mostly independent from the big musical trends of the 20th century but sometimes incorporating ideas from them. But it's always interesting, and quite accessible.

[Alan Howe]

Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge in this area. Fascinating.