Composed: between 1989 and 1996
Duration: 27 minutes
First Performance: June 1996, given by the Duke Quartet at the Malvern Festival
Ian Venables' Piano Quintet has proven to be one of the composer's most popular works, having been performed by both the Duke and Chilingirian Quartets at venues that have included The Malvern and Three Choirs Festivals.
The first movement is a Sonata form structure with a slow introduction for strings alone. This introduction is germinal to the material in the Allegro ma non troppo that follows. The mood is generally one of optimism with a delightful, diatonic second subject and an ostinato figure in 6/8 and 3 /4. Both become the inspiration for the lengthy development section. After the recapitulation the movement ends firmly in the key of D flat major, contrasting completely the movements harmonically ambiguous opening.
The second movement, in contrast to the first, is a slow expressive outpouring which opens with a motivic idea played by the viola. A second, more plaintive melodic idea is presented on the piano, and both themes are germinal to the work's later development. This introduction leads to one of two rhapsodic interludes for piano solo. These interludes surround a scherzando like melody which is based on the opening viola motif, and lightens the overriding mood of the whole movement.
After the second rhapsodic interlude, a theme of intense beauty moves the work, (via a pesante section for all five instruments), to its main melodic idea, but this time with a sustained pedal D natural in the 'cello.
The Finale is a spirited movement driven by two contrasting ideas, both firmly in the key of F major. The first is an almost heroic theme presented 'forte' on all five instruments, and the second is a longer 14 bar phrase played on the 'cello and second violin, which is lighter in character.
The movement's second subject is a passionate theme placed solidly in common time. It contrasts a unison idea on upper strings with a piano and 'cello pesante accompaniment. After a calm, homophonic section for upper strings accompanied by an ostinato figure in 5/8 - similar to the 6/8 ostinato in the first movement - and a presentation of the initial 14 bar theme in the minor, the movement twists and turns through various tonalities before arriving at a fugato section. After a final statement of the lyrical second subject, and allusions to the main melodic ideas in both the first and second movements, the whole work ends as it began, with the slow introduction presented in the warm key of D flat major, this time with sonorous chords accompanying.