Zelenski: Piano Quartet; Zarebski: Pianoquintet

 Jonathan Plowright (piano), Szymanowski QuartetHyperion CDA67905 *****

How many 19th-century chamber music pieces have you heard apart from Chopin's? Here are two to reckon with: the Piano Quintet by the Liszt pupil Juliusz Zarebski (1854-1885) and the Piano Quartet by Krakow-based Wladyslaw Zelenski (1837-1921). They are both big-boned pieces worthy of serious attention and, although the Zelenski may turn out to be a 20th-century work (its date is unknown, but its opus number is high and the composer lived until 1921), its spirit is of the 19th century. The performances by Jonathan Plowright and the Szymanowski Quartet are beautifully judged in lyricism and propulsion, and exploit a gorgeous variety of textures. url.ie/4qdb