Franz Lachner

1. Piano Quintet C minor op. 139

Within their genre, the two piano quintets by Franz Lachner (1803-1890), written in 1868 and 1869, mark the transition from the classic period to the romantic one. Our new editions of the works which had not been available for a long time contain an extensive preface in three languages in which the editor Jost Michaels -for many years professor for chamber music at the Detmold conservatory - compares those two quintets which Lachner composed as sisterly pieces complementing one another in juxtaposition. The two piano quintets are convincing on account of their excessive ideas - as far as contents and instrumentation are concerned, which prove Lachner to be not only one of the most cultivated composers in his generation, but also one of the most versatile and expert ones.