For those who like to put composers into neat pigeonholes Hummel has always presented a problem – he dwelt on the classical/romantic cusp, looking back to the already-dead Mozart and following, to a limited extent, the forward path to romanticism. His strengths lay in his craftsmanship, fluent pianism and ability to produce winsome thematic material – but to restate and embellish rather than develop it. Numerous concertos testify to his enviable understanding of instruments, as does the absence of a symphony in his oeuvre to his apparent inability to get to grips with the nitty-gritty of development as Beethoven was revealing it at the time. All this is evident in the three comparatively early (c 1798-c 1803) works recorded here, but in the end it is the quality of product that matters most and, accepting them on their own terms, these three pieces merit high praise.
The Quintet is full of invention, variety and melodic strength – one understands why it was so popular in its own time. The home key throughout is E flat minor, in which the Largo opens sombrely before giving way to the major mode, permitting the piano to ‘sing’ more lovingly, but before long the mood becomes more tense, the minor mode is re-established, and a demonstrative pause on the (common) dominant seventh leads segue to the final Allegro agitato. Hummel designated Op 5 No 3 as for ‘piano with viola accompaniment’, but this was a custom resembling that of placing the name of the tutor before that of the author of a thesis; the viola takes an indispensable part in these proceedings and, again, the jewel in the crown is the Adagio cantabile. The performances are exquisite, and the ‘cleaner’ sound of the period pianos used – Erard, c 1846 in Opp 12 and 87, reproduction of a Rosenberger, c 1798 in Op 5 No 3 – helps to maintain the overall clarity of texture with which these works would have been heard in their own time. The high quality of the recording and annotation adds to the desirability of this fine disc.'