Hans Gal Piano Quartet in A
Gottlieb Wallisch (piano), Aron Quartett, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra Budapest, Hartmut Rohde (conductor and viola)
CPO 2022
cpo 555 276–2
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Hans Gál: Piano Quartet in A Major; Suite Op. 24; Concertino Op. 43; Impromptu
Hans Gál • Gottlieb Wallisch (piano); Aron Quartett; Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra; Hartmut Rohde (conductor)
About this release
This disc gathers four chamber works spanning Hans Gál’s most fruitful decades. The Piano Quartet in A major (1926) was written for one‑armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein and pairs left‑hand piano with violin, viola and cello in music that is airy, lyrical and touched by impressionism. The five‑movement Suite for Piano Op. 24 (1922) plays with dance forms from Minuet to Sarabande, while the Concertino for Piano and String Orchestra Op. 43 (1934) offers a neoclassical three‑movement charmer with hints of Elgar and English pastoralism. A brief Impromptu for viola and piano (1940) provides a melancholy coda. Pianist Gottlieb Wallisch partners the Aron Quartett in the quartet and suite, and joins the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra under violist‑conductor Hartmut Rohde for the concertino.
Where to buy or listen
What critics said
Rob Barnett’s review on MusicWeb International praises the impressionistic lyricism of the programme and describes the Concertino as “a little charmer”, while emphasising the quartet’s melodic charm and approachable character. In a November 2022 review for The Strad, Tim Homfray notes the emphatic dance‑like opening of the quartet, highlights the players’ eloquent phrasing and deft pacing, and commends the warm, clear recorded sound.
Further context
Gál’s Piano Quartet was dedicated to Paul Wittgenstein and belongs to a long tradition of left‑hand concert works composed for the pianist. The accompanying Suite, Concertino and Impromptu span nearly two decades of the composer’s career and reveal his gift for melody, lightness and unpretentious charm. This CPO release emerged in late 2022 and has since drawn attention to an unjustly neglected corner of twentieth‑century chamber music.
