Joseph-Guy Ropartz(1864-1955) was a Breton who initially followed his father's path of studying and practicing law. At the same time, he enrolled in the Conservatoire National de Musique of Paris where he studied under Theodore Dubois and Jules Massenet; eventually he became a disciple of Cesar Franck. Ropartz became the director of the Conservatoire of Nancy when he was thirty years of age and had a highly successful career in that position. After the First World War, he accepted the position of the Director of the Conservatoire of Strasbourg. Ropartz is relatively obscure compared even to others of his period such as Chabrier, Chausson, Faure, Duparc, and Magnard. His music has elements of romanticism, late-romanticism, and impressionism with a strong polyphonic/cyclical character and a love for the Ocean. Swelling rhythms often play a significant role in his compositions. Ropartz could well be considered a "maritime" composer. The Timpani label has released a disc of three Ropartz chamber works performed by the Ensemble Stanislas: Piano Trio in A minor written in 1918, "Prelude, Marine et Chansons" for flute, violin, alto, cello, and harp from 1928, and the String Quartet No. 4 in E major composed in 1934. There's some nice variety - chamber strings, flute, piano, and even a harp. The three works are programmed in chronological order, a very simple methodology which is often not used in recordings of multiple works - but that's another story. Ropartz's Piano Trio in A minor is a very fine work. The first movement opens with a dramatic theme of great urgency; the second theme, in F major, is gentle and lovely music. These two themes are the essential materials of the Trio which get cycled in the other movements. The second movement, a Scherzo in C minor, has a sea surge first theme followed by a second theme of great lyricism. The slow third movement is introspective and quite beautiful music. The finale's first theme harkens back to the initial theme of the first movement and is a dynamic movement. It appears to end as the tide recedes into the horizon, but Ropartz gives us one more surging tide before closing out the work. Is this Trio a masterpiece? Well, I think the first movement fits into that category. But as good as the following movements might be, they are not at the high level of the first. So, I find the Piano Trio very rewarding and will be playing it with regularity. "Prelude, Marine, et Chansons" consists of three relatively short movements. The first two are very serene, gentle, and nostalgic; the flute and harp certainly add to this type of environment. "Chansons" provides much more energy than the previous movements, but retains a strong sense of comfort and beauty. As with the Piano Trio, the work is not going to be attaining a "masterwork" status. However, I think the composition is certainly beautiful, expressive, and evocative of wonderful days in the past along the ocean front. I grew up along the ocean, so I know what I'm talking about. The Ropartz String Quartet No. 4 is a short work less than 20 minutes in length. The first movement Allegro is excellent with some beautiful passages. The second movement Allegro introduces a more "modernist" Ropartz as he provides some dissonance in a highly energetic manner; personally, I don't feel it works very well, as it takes Ropartz out of his natural element. The third movement, Quasi lento, is meditative music which gets back to the strengths Ropartz possesses and is highly chromatic. The fourth movement Allegro begins with an exuberant dance in E major tending toward pentatonism, then moves to a highly lyrical G major subject displaying much warmth; overall, the movement is strong on contrapuntal elements. Although an enjoyable work, I prefer the two previous compositions on the disc. Don's Conclusion: An excellent chamber music recording which I can readily recommend to those who enjoy early 20th century works. Personally, I feel quite an affinity for the music of Ropartz. My only reservation is that the String Quartet does not possess the wealth of melodic invention that the Piano Trio delivers. The packaging is bulky, requiring a cardboard cover to house the jewel case and liner notes. However, the cover art is aesthetically pleasing. The liner notes are pretentious as hell but do include some insightful information about the composer and the compositions. Don Satz [log in to unmask]