Piano Quintet op. 1

Bored by lessons with Victor Massé, who was endeavouring to steer him towards dramatic music, Alexis de Castillon embraced chamber music as his field of choice. Spurning his earlier works, he designated his Piano Quintet, composed in 1863-64 and published in 1865, as his Opus 1. This work clearly shows Castillon’s liking for the music of Robert Schumann and it was, in fact, premiered by the Société Schumann on 10 March 1870, at the Salle Érard. Although expansive in scale, the initial allegro is cast in a clearly legible sonata form. Written in the same key—E flat major—as Schumann’s Opus 44, it is particularly noteworthy for the richness of its opening theme, sustained by the prevalence of intense unison writing. The livelier second idea, which attempts to gain traction with its dotted rhythm, is passed between all the string parts, then overtaken by a flowing, exuberant lyricism. After a scherzo full of rhythmic vitality, Castillon links the adagio to the finale in a seamless movement, unified by cyclical themes. The initial idea, likened by Vincent d’Indy to “a sort of religious hymn”, is introduced in the sombre key of A flat minor and heralded by two successive solemn, severe fifths. Castillon reuses this idea as the main theme of his allegro, brightened by the return to E flat major. In this partially cyclical work, the composer reveals glimpses of his true personality—an inventive mind with an obvious bent for the ideas of César Franck.