JOSEPH RYELANDT (1870-1965): Piano Quintet in A Minor, String Quartet No. 2 in F Minor, Adagio for String Quartet in F Sharp Minor, Op. 13, Andante and Variations for Piano Sextet in G Minor. In Flanders' Fields, Vol. 55

Description: These are early works, dating from 1895, 1901 and 1903 (only the short sextet variations are from Ryelandt's mature period - 1933), when the composer's main stylistic influences were Germanic. The adagio and the quartet are of an almost Beethovenian Classicism, which makes the piano quintet - coming between them chronologically - slightly odd for sounding like young Brahms, full of cut-and-thrust swing and Romantic verve. Speigel String Quartet, Joost Magerman (double bass), Jozef de Beenhouwer (piano).