For listeners used to Frederick Delius’
potboilers such as On hearing the First
Cuckoo in Spring, The Walk to the
Paradise Garden and Summer Night on
the River, the change in style made by the composer during the First World
War could be surprising. During this period, he turned his mind to ‘classical’
forms and produced a Concerto
for violin, one for violin and cello, a
Cello Sonata and the present String Quartet.
Delius had experimented with
string quartet form in 1888 and later in 1892-3: neither of these works have
survived, save in fragments. There may be evidence of a third example. It is not the forum to examine the ‘textual’
history of the present E minor quartet, save in outline. The original version
of this work had only three movements (first, third and fourth) and was dated
‘Spring 1916’. It was premiered at the Aeolian Hall, London on 17 November 1916
by the London String Quartet.
Unsatisfied with the quartet,
Delius added an extra movement (the second, ‘scherzo’, in the final recension).
This was based on music culled from his earlier (1888) quartet. He also revised the first and last movements
as well as rewriting ‘Late Swallows’.
The first four tracks on this CD
present the Quartet in its received, i.e. published form. The four movements
are: 1. With animation, 2. Quick and lightly, 3. Late Swallows (Slow and wistfully) and 4. Very quick and
vigorously.
The first movement is
impressionistic, with rapidly changing harmonies and the continual development of
brief melodic fragments. It is enchanting in its effect. The ‘scherzo’ is like
‘a Mendelssohnian nocturne, whose gossamer-like threads are spun rapidly across
the ensemble with an engagingly playful sense of rhythmic asymmetry.’ This is
balanced by a wistful song-like tune in the ‘trio’. ‘Late Swallows’ has been described by Eric
Fenby as ‘a beautiful autumnal soliloquy in sound…conjured up from thoughts of
the swallows darting to and fro from the eaves of the studios in Grez.’ Frederick
and Jelka Delius had returned to their home in January 1915, after having been
evacuated from the village earlier in the war. Several critics have surmised
that the final movement is of poorer quality than the first three: contrariwise,
it is possible to consider that it provides a vigorous contrast to the pensive
‘swallow’ music.
The ‘added-value’ of this CD is
the two movements from the original version of the String Quartet, realised by
Daniel Grimley. The opening movement has been ‘reassembled’ from sketches and
an incomplete set of string parts. Differences
to note include the more robust and concentrated scoring, which I found equally
satisfying to the ‘received version’. The original ‘Late Swallows’ appears to
be virtually a ‘new’ Delian work. The opening recalls ‘larks ascending’ and
‘moorland meditations’, and the middle section surely nods to Mahler. It is a
rare and beautiful discovery that makes the disc cheap at twice the price! The
revisions to the finale have not been included in this recording as these are
not perceived to be significant.
The Villiers Quartet play Delius’s
String Quartet and the additional movements with magical and nuanced effect.
We are on safer historical ground
with the String Quartet in E minor, op.83 (1918) by Edward Elgar. Yet even here,
the composer had moved away from the certainties of the works composed in the
Victorian and Edwardian years. And, after a string of patriotic works devised
during the Great War, it is instructive to see the him compose a series of
‘absolute’ works including the Violin Sonata in E minor, op.82, the Piano
Quartet in A minor, op.84, the present Quartet and the more ambitious and ubiquitous
Cello Concerto in E minor, op.85.
The Quartet and the Piano Quintet
in A minor (1918-19) were completed whilst Edward and his wife Alice were
renting Brinkwells, a cottage close to Fittleworth, Sussex. It was hidden in
deep woodland. Elgar was coming to terms
with the fact musical style had moved on: no longer was he one of Europe’s
‘advanced’ composers. The music of Stravinsky, Ravel and Schoenberg was
beginning to dominate the concert hall and recital room.
In a previous review of this work
(Hyperion CDA67857) I wrote that Elgar ‘…seems to be in search of something
intangible: it may well be a lost muse or an attempt at finding an
‘explanation’ for some event in the past.’ It is a view I still hold.
The three movements of this quartet
are hugely contrasting, yet there is also a strong sense of underlying unity. The
first movement is diverse in its deployment of emotion. There is a balance between ‘austerity’ and
‘nostalgia.’ The second movement, ‘Piacevole [agreeable, pleasant] (poco
andante)’ is reflective and introspective, maybe summing up the composers
concerns about his wife’s frailness, his ‘outdated’ music and the passing of
the security of the Edwardian age. It was one of Alice’s favourite works, and
was played at her funeral in 1920. This movement has been described as an
‘intermezzo’, however I feel that this music explores much deeper sentiments.
The finale opens with an uneasy
march-like theme which is followed by the more relaxed second subject, signed
to be played ‘dolce.’ The dynamism of this movement is never in doubt. The
spectacular coda, ‘con fuoco’ (with fire) is quite simply stunning. It brings
this great string quartet to a breathless conclusion. The liner notes sum up the last bars well: there
is no time left for retrospection, merely the gruff slamming of the door.’
Elgar’s String Quartet was given
its first public performance at the Wigmore Hall, London on 21 May 1919,
Both works have been recorded
several times by a variety of prominent ensembles (Britten String Quartet,
London String Quartet etc.). The present disc is sympathetically played, with
the Villiers Quartet providing a sensitive and learned reading of both
works.
The liner notes by Daniel Grimley
are excellent and provide a detailed background and analysis of the Delius and
Elgar Quartets.
As noted above, the discovery
here is the early version of ‘Late Swallows.’ It deserves its own unique place
in the quartet repertoire.
Track Listing:
Frederick DELIUS (1862-1934)
String Quartet in E minor (1917)
Two Movements from the original version (1916/2016) (reassembled
by Daniel GRIMLEY)
Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
String Quartet in E minor, op.83 (1918) Villiers Quartet: James Dickenson
(violin), Tamaki Higashi (violin), Carmen Flores (viola) and Nicholas
Stringfellow (cello)
NAXOS 8.573586
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