Fauré Quartett

In 1785 Mozart wrote the first of his two piano quartets, thereby creating the prototype of a genre with no notable predecessors and no tradition at all. In the piano quartet he combined two genres that he had already taken to great heights. He coupled the symphonic dialogue and solo virtuosity of the piano concerto with the subtle refinement of the string quartet, giving the four instruments equally importance. Mozart here set the standard for a genre that was taken up above all by several major Romantic composers including Robert Schumann. His Piano Quartet opus 47 was created in what is called his 'chamber music year' - from June 1842 to February 1843 - when three string quartets, a piano quintet and a piano quartet appeared in succession. The Piano Quartet was for a long time overshadowed by the more popular quintet, though it also showed Schumann at his best: expressive melodies, colourful harmonies and polyphonic voice-leading combine to form a structurally complex but vivid whole with immediate appeal and lingering reverberations. With his two piano quartets, Gabriel Fauré made the most significant French contribution to the genre, urged on by his teacher and good friend Saint-Saëns.