Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet in D major, Op. 21

This piece occupies a category entirely its own: Chausson called it a 'Concert' rather than a sextet or concerto, because it sits exactly between the two, with the violin and piano acting as a duo of soloists set against the string quartet as a small 'orchestra' in the manner of a Baroque concerto grosso. The first movement opens with a declamatory three-note piano motif that seeds the entire work, which then unfolds cyclically, with that motif returning and evolving across all four movements. The second movement, a Sicilienne in 6/8, offers a brief graceful contrast before the third movement introduces a more serious, dirge-like tone in a duo between violin and piano.

What to listen for

In the first movement, watch for the moment when the string quartet enters on the main theme after the violin and piano have already stated it, with the piano adding low octaves beneath and high trills above; the texture shifts from a duo conversation to a full six-voice ensemble in a single stroke. Also notice how the opening three-note cell keeps reappearing in new shapes across later movements, binding the whole work together. The Sicilienne's lilting 6/8 rhythm creates a pocket of rhythmic calm that makes the surrounding movements feel all the more weighty by contrast.

Recommended recording

The 1986 recording by Augustin Dumay, Jean-Philippe Collard, and the Quatuor Muir on EMI has been frequently cited as one of the most committed accounts of this work.

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