Thursday 11 October 2018

E.J. Moeran: Fantasy Quartet for oboe, violin, viola and cello – A Final Word


The only other review I could find of Moeran’s Fantasy Quartet was given in the January 1948 edition of Music & Letters. It is a critique of the score, which was published in 1947. I quote it in full ‘for the record.’

K.A. writes:
‘After a period of writing large-scale orchestral works (the Symphony, Violin Concerto, piano Rhapsody, Sinfonietta and Cello Concerto), Moeran seems to be returning to his former love-chamber music. This Fantasy Quartet possesses the qualities of freshness which we associate with this composer's best work. The actual material is slight, but one is content to drift along with this delightful meandering music. There are pages reminiscent of the early string Quartet; indeed one cannot pretend that the work shows anything new in Moeran's development, except possibly the pages on which he employs three keys simultaneously. But where music is so charming does this really matter?’

E.J. Moeran, Fantasy Quartet for Oboe, Violin, Viola and Violoncello. (Chester, London.) Miniature Score, (1947). It was priced at 4/- (20p) which would be about £7.50 at 2018 prices.

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