The sparkling string sextet Souvenir de Florence, Op 70 takes its name from the Italian city in which Tchaikovsky first worked on this enduringly popular composition. Pairing it with Erich Korngold’s Sextet, Op 10 (Hyperion), the Nash Ensemble play each work—both written for the standard sextet combination of two violins, two violas and two cellos—with restless verve and panache. Korngold shares Tchaikovsky’s melodic gift but his youthful work, dating from 1914 and influenced by Schoenberg, is sharp-edged and harmonically modernist in comparison.
The Nash make a compelling case for both. To call this ensemble venerable is to reflect on the group’s standing over 60 years, since its foundation in 1964 (by Amelia Freedman). The reason to listen to these players now is not for old time’s sake but for the vigour and precision they show in the wide repertoire they tackle, including this.