Reviews for
GMCD 7216 - Chamber Music by Sir. Malcolm
Arnold
Musical Opinion September 2001
Malcolm Arnold’s chamber music contains some highly original scores which
are available on disc in excellent performances. The Ceruti Ensemble are on great form on
Guild’s GMCD 7216 in the first two String Quartets, the Quintet for Flute, Violin,
Viola, Horn and Bassoon and the World Premičre Recording of the rediscovered 1941 Phantasy
for String Quartet, subtitled Vita Abundans.. These deserve regular airings
on Classic FM, whose audience would love them.
Robert
Matthew-Walker
Gramophone October 2001
Phantasy for String Quartet, ‘Vita abundands’. String Quartets
– No 1, Op 23; No 2, Op 118. Quintet Op 7
Ceruti Ensemble of London (Oliver Lewis, Maya Bickel vns, Miranda Davis va,
Robert Bailey vc, Andy Findon fl, Dave Lee hn, Gavin McNaughton bn
Guild GMCD 7216 (71 minutes: DDD)
A valuable anthology including the premičre recording of the teenage
Arnold’s Phantasy
Like his First Symphony from the same year, Arnold’s First String Quartet
of 1949 is a bracingly concentrated, nervy creation. Superbly crafted and tersely argued,
it’s an astringent Arnold himself apparently rates very highly amongst his own
chamber music output. Its successor of 1975 is a scarcely less challenging beast. Granted,
both outer movements are clean-cut and purposeful, and both conclude in a relatively
untroubled D major. The second movement, however, is eventful to say the least. After a
solo cadenza passage for first violin, the same instrument plunges into an earthy Irish
folk dance in G major (it comes as no surprise to learn that the work was composed in
Dublin and bears a dedication to Hugh Maguire, the then leader of the Allegri Quartet);
what’s more, when the remaining voices do eventually enter the fray, they do so in
the antagonistically remote key of C sharp minor. The effect could hardly be more
unnerving, and the clouds fail to lift during the ensuing, spare-textured Andante.
Formed last year by violinist Oliver Lewis, the Ceruti Ensemble of London give
strongly communicative accounts of both quartets, if without quite the entrancing poise,
subtle blend and hushed intensity displayed by the youthful McCapra Quartet on Chandos. On
the other hand, these newcomers offer two considerable bonuses in the shape of the
engaging Quintet for flute, violin, viola, horn and bassoon from 1944, as well as the
first recording of an even earlier Phantasy for String Quartet – a remarkably
prescient, assured achievement for a 19-year-old student and runner-up in the 1941 Cobbett
Competition. Once again, the Ceruti Enseble’s advocacy is infectious, the performance
of the Quintet comparing favourably with that of the Nash Ensemble (whose outstandingly
eloquent Hyperion survey of Arnold’s chamber music has now been reissued on three
separate Helios CDs at budget price). With excellent booklet-notes by Robert
Matthew-Walker and undistractingly faithful sound and balance throughout (if, at times, a
touch more traffic rumble than ideal), here is a very likeable release.
Andrew Achanbach
Andrew Achanbach
BBC Music Magazine - September 2001
String Quartets Nos 1 & 2; Quintet for flute, violin, viola, horn &
bassoon, Op. 7, Phatasy for String Quartet (Vita abundans)
Ceruti Ensemble
Guild GMCD 7216 – 70:37 mins. ŁŁŁ
Malcolm Arnold’s complete output for string quartet is contained on this
disc, including the previously unrecorded Vita abundans (‚Abundant Life‘),
written when Arnold was 19 – and there’s still room for the three-movement
Quintet, Op. 7. It’s surprising he hasn’t written more. All the quartet music
shows a well-developed feel for the medium and the two numbered quartets show a side of
Arnold which rarely appears elsewhere: as dark and edgy as any of the later symphonies,
but more inward-looking and concentrated. The startling ‘happy ending’ of the
Second distantly recalls the schmaltzy big tune which almost ends the finale of the Fifth
Symphony, only here the irony is more elusive – which is the mask and which the true
expressive face? The contrast with the witty, on the whole cheerful Quintet is striking.
The Ceruti Ensemble plays with impressive, polished authority. It sounds as though the
players have taken trouble to probe out deeper meanings in this music, though they never
force anything. Riddles remain riddles, however forcefully presented – as in the
bizarre Celtic-dance scherzo of Quartet No. 2. I would have liked a slightly brighter
recording, but on technical grounds it’s hard to fault the sound.
Stephen Johnson
PERFORMANCE Five Star
SOUND Four Star
International Record Review - September 2001
Arnold New
String Quartetsa - No. 1, Op. 23; No. 2, Op. 118. Quintet,
Op. 73b. Phantasy, 'Vita Abundans,a.
Ceruti Ensemble of London Ceruti Ensemble of London
(Oliver Lewis, aMaya Bickel, violins;
Miranda Davis, viola; aRobert Bailey, Cello; bAndy Findon,
flute; bDave Lee, horn; bGavin McNaughton, bassoon).
Guild GMCD7216 (full price, 1 hour 11 minütes).
ProducerlEngineer ProducerlEngineer Michael Ponder.
Date Date November 13th-15th, 2000.
Comparisons: String Quartets:
McCapra Qt (Chandos) CHAN9112 Quintet: (Not available)
Nash Ens (Hyperion) CDH55073'(rev. Feb 2001, p. 56)
lt is pleasing to find that some of the lesser- known corners of Sir Malcolm
Arnold's large oeuvre are surfacing in this, his 80th birthday year. The Nash
Ensemble's pioneering recordings of most of his chamber music have already been reissued
on Hyperion's Helios label; and now comes this enterprising release that falls in one or
two of the gaps. Arnold's two widely separated string quartets did not figure on the Nash
set, though they do feature on a fine disc by the McCapra Quartet, a group that seems to
have subsequently disappeared. On the present disc, the players are drawn from the Ceruti
Ensemble and the results are no less convincing, if different. The First Quartet, from
1949, is not an easy piece to bring off. lt is hardly characteristic of the mature Arnold,
in my view; some of the obvious influences - Bartók for example - are not fully digested,
but the players nevertheless sound as if this curiosity of a work has been fully digested
before being comnitted to disc. Likewise with the Second Quartet of 1979: to my mind this
is one of Arnold's finest works, searching but eminently approachable. Here the Ceruti
Ensemble find tempos that in three cases out of four are slower than those adopted by the
McCapra Quartet. As a result, some of the sheer bite of the piece is missing, but I find
it a valid alternative approach and the work can certainly stand it.
There is a surprise in that the Ceruti Ensemble include a third Arnold quartet,
a student work that won Second Prize in the 1941 Cobbett Chamber Competition. It is well
worth hearing for its ingenious construction, tunefulness and evident mastery of texture.
This well-filled CD is rounded out with another early chamber work, for three winds and
two strings, again not wholly characteristic of the Arnold we know and love but well worth
an outing. The sound-balance is impeccable and Robert Matthew-Walker contributes a
stimulating note, though one mystery remains unexplained. The student Phantasy is
subtitles "Vita Abundans", but though the booklet includes two pictures with
similar title, the connection is otherwise passed over in silence ---
Piers Burton-Page
Piers Burton-Page
Piers Burton-Page
Classical Music on the Web - June 2001
Malcolm ARNOLD Malcolm ARNOLD (b. 1921)
String Quartet No.1 Op.23 (1949)
String Quartet No.2 Op.118 (1975)
Quintet op.7 (1944, rev. 1960)
Phantasy for String Quartet "Vita Abundans" (1941)
The Ceruti Ensemble of London
Recorded : London, November 2000
GUILD MUSIC GHCD 7216 (70:37)
Malcolm Arnold's chamber music is an important aspect of his large output
and reveals a more intimate, complex and, at times, secret composer. His two string
quartets are among the most compelling works he ever penned. They were written during
crucial periods of the composer's life. The String Quartet No.l Op.23, completed in
1949, is a deeply personal utterance, though a quite uncharacteristic one, at least in
stylistic terms. As I have already remarked elsewhere, the First String Quartet belongs to
a group of works (Symphony for Strings Op.13 (1946), the Violin Sonata No.l Op.15 ( 1947),
the Viola Sonata Op. 17 ( 1947) and the First Clarinet Concerto Op. 20 ( 1948)) which show
Arnold at his most experimental and seemingly going through a "phase of
Bartók-worship", to quote the late Christopher Palmer's very apt phrase. Indeed the
music here looks to Berg or Bartók rather than to Walton or Vaughan Williams. It has a
rather unusual stringency and tension hardly relieved (if at all) during the last bars of
the Finale; no easy work but one of Arnold's most important and personal achievements.
The String Quartet No.2 Op.118 was completed in 1975
during Arnold's Dublin period which by all accounts was a most harrowing one. Other works
of that period include the Symphony No.7 Op.113, one of Arnold's most violent pieces, the
enigmatic Fantasy on a Theme of John Field Op.116 and the Clarinet Concerto No.2 Op.115.
All these works have much in common: the music is often elliptical, doom-laden,
unpredictable, bleak (especially so in the slow movements). The Second String Quartet is
no exception. The troubled, ambiguous first movement finds no resolution. The following
Scherzo is still more enigmatic: it opens with some sort of cadenza for violin, the
material of which is totally alien to the rest of the work. This then turns into some
folk-like Irish jig angrily assaulted by the other strings. No dialogue whatsoever here.
The slow movement, a darkly oppressive meditation, again has a hymn-like episode unrelated
to the rest of the music. Finally the last movement partly succeeds in dispelling the
prevailing angry mood, though victory with Malcolm Arnold is neither easily approached nor
complete.
The much earlier Quintet Op.7 of 1944 (flute, violin,
viola, horn and bassoon) is one of the works written for some of Arnold's LPO colleagues.
This accounts for the somewhat unusual instrumental combination. A lighter work, it is
comparable with the celebrated Three Shanties Op.4 of 1943. The outer movements are mainly
light-hearted, though the last one is unresolved at the end, whereas the slow section is
rather more tense. In its quite short span, the Quintet Op. 7 is a remarkable example of
the all-pervading ambiguity in Arnold's music.
The novelty here is the Phantasy for String Quartet
"Vita Abundans" written in 1941. This was awarded the second prize of the
Cobbett competition that year. It is a quite remarkable piece of music in which Arnold
fully demonstrates his mastery of variation form. Its six contrasted sections follow each
other effortlessly, with an extraordinary musical logic and sureness of touch, and also a
good deal of invention. One can but wonder why this beautiful piece remained unheard for
more than fifty years.
The Ceruti Ensemble of London is a young group of gifted players
and this is their first recording. Their readings of these pieces are really very fine.
They play with assurance (though I spotted a momentary hesitation at the very beginning of
the First String Quartet), commitment and - more importantly - with affection. There is
not much to choose between their readings of the string quartets and those of the McCapra
Quartet (on CHANDOS CHAN 9112 released in 1993). The only problem with the CHANDOS release
is its short playing time. The present release, which is also an appropriate tribute to
Arnold on his 80th birthday, is a must for all "Arnoldians" who will want to
hear the splendid, long-neglected Phantasy Quartet. Unreservedly
recommended.
Hubert Culot
CD CHOICE OF THE WEEK
EVENING STANDARD HOT TICKET MAGAZINE
14/06/01
THE CERUTI ENSEMBLE
...Arnold's chamber music is even less well-known but much loved
by thoses who play it. The Ceruti Ensemble perform both of Arnold's Bartok-inflected
string quartets, the humorous, spiky, Poulenc-like quintet for flute, violin, viola, horn
and bassoon and, for the first time on disc, the 'Phantasy For String Quartet Vita
Abundans'. This last is a gripping ten-minute work of jazz rhythms and long-phrased bluesy
tunes. It is a tragedy that Arnold's music is not more frequently played. Must we wait for
his funeral?
Rick Jones Rick Jones Malcolm ARNOLD (b. 1921)
String Quartet No.1 Op.23 (1949)
String Quartet No.2 Op.118 (1975)
Quintet op.7 (1944, rev. 1960)
Phantasy for String Quartet "Vita Abundans" (1941)
The Ceruti Ensemble of London
Recorded : London, November 2000
GUILD MUSIC GHCD 7216 (70:37)
Malcolm Arnold's chamber music is an important aspect of his large output
and reveals a more intimate, complex and, at times, secret composer. His two string
quartets are among the most compelling works he ever penned. They were written during
crucial periods of the composer's life. The String Quartet No.l Op.23, completed in
1949, is a deeply personal utterance, though a quite uncharacteristic one, at least in
stylistic terms. As I have already remarked elsewhere, the First String Quartet belongs to
a group of works (Symphony for Strings Op.13 (1946), the Violin Sonata No.l Op.15 ( 1947),
the Viola Sonata Op. 17 ( 1947) and the First Clarinet Concerto Op. 20 ( 1948)) which show
Arnold at his most experimental and seemingly going through a "phase of
Bartók-worship", to quote the late Christopher Palmer's very apt phrase. Indeed the
music here looks to Berg or Bartók rather than to Walton or Vaughan Williams. It has a
rather unusual stringency and tension hardly relieved (if at all) during the last bars of
the Finale; no easy work but one of Arnold's most important and personal achievements.
The String Quartet No.2 Op.118 was completed in 1975
during Arnold's Dublin period which by all accounts was a most harrowing one. Other works
of that period include the Symphony No.7 Op.113, one of Arnold's most violent pieces, the
enigmatic Fantasy on a Theme of John Field Op.116 and the Clarinet Concerto No.2 Op.115.
All these works have much in common: the music is often elliptical, doom-laden,
unpredictable, bleak (especially so in the slow movements). The Second String Quartet is
no exception. The troubled, ambiguous first movement finds no resolution. The following
Scherzo is still more enigmatic: it opens with some sort of cadenza for violin, the
material of which is totally alien to the rest of the work. This then turns into some
folk-like Irish jig angrily assaulted by the other strings. No dialogue whatsoever here.
The slow movement, a darkly oppressive meditation, again has a hymn-like episode unrelated
to the rest of the music. Finally the last movement partly succeeds in dispelling the
prevailing angry mood, though victory with Malcolm Arnold is neither easily approached nor
complete.
The much earlier Quintet Op.7 of 1944 (flute, violin,
viola, horn and bassoon) is one of the works written for some of Arnold's LPO colleagues.
This accounts for the somewhat unusual instrumental combination. A lighter work, it is
comparable with the celebrated Three Shanties Op.4 of 1943. The outer movements are mainly
light-hearted, though the last one is unresolved at the end, whereas the slow section is
rather more tense. In its quite short span, the Quintet Op. 7 is a remarkable example of
the all-pervading ambiguity in Arnold's music.
The novelty here is the Phantasy for String Quartet
"Vita Abundans" written in 1941. This was awarded the second prize of the
Cobbett competition that year. It is a quite remarkable piece of music in which Arnold
fully demonstrates his mastery of variation form. Its six contrasted sections follow each
other effortlessly, with an extraordinary musical logic and sureness of touch, and also a
good deal of invention. One can but wonder why this beautiful piece remained unheard for
more than fifty years.
The Ceruti Ensemble of London is a young group of gifted players
and this is their first recording. Their readings of these pieces are really very fine.
They play with assurance (though I spotted a momentary hesitation at the very beginning of
the First String Quartet), commitment and - more importantly - with affection. There is
not much to choose between their readings of the string quartets and those of the McCapra
Quartet (on CHANDOS CHAN 9112 released in 1993). The only problem with the CHANDOS release
is its short playing time. The present release, which is also an appropriate tribute to
Arnold on his 80th birthday, is a must for all "Arnoldians" who will want to
hear the splendid, long-neglected Phantasy Quartet. Unreservedly
recommended.
Hubert Culot
CD CHOICE OF THE WEEK
EVENING STANDARD HOT TICKET MAGAZINE
14/06/01
THE CERUTI ENSEMBLE
...Arnold's chamber music is even less well-known but much loved
by thoses who play it. The Ceruti Ensemble perform both of Arnold's Bartok-inflected
string quartets, the humorous, spiky, Poulenc-like quintet for flute, violin, viola, horn
and bassoon and, for the first time on disc, the 'Phantasy For String Quartet Vita
Abundans'. This last is a gripping ten-minute work of jazz rhythms and long-phrased bluesy
tunes. It is a tragedy that Arnold's music is not more frequently played. Must we wait for
his funeral?
Rick Jones Rick Jones Malcolm ARNOLD (b. 1921)
String Quartet No.1 Op.23 (1949)
String Quartet No.2 Op.118 (1975)
Quintet op.7 (1944, rev. 1960)
Phantasy for String Quartet "Vita Abundans" (1941)
The Ceruti Ensemble of London
Recorded : London, November 2000
GUILD MUSIC GHCD 7216 (70:37)
Malcolm Arnold's chamber music is an important aspect of his large output
and reveals a more intimate, complex and, at times, secret composer. His two string
quartets are among the most compelling works he ever penned. They were written during
crucial periods of the composer's life. The String Quartet No.l Op.23, completed in
1949, is a deeply personal utterance, though a quite uncharacteristic one, at least in
stylistic terms. As I have already remarked elsewhere, the First String Quartet belongs to
a group of works (Symphony for Strings Op.13 (1946), the Violin Sonata No.l Op.15 ( 1947),
the Viola Sonata Op. 17 ( 1947) and the First Clarinet Concerto Op. 20 ( 1948)) which show
Arnold at his most experimental and seemingly going through a "phase of
Bartók-worship", to quote the late Christopher Palmer's very apt phrase. Indeed the
music here looks to Berg or Bartók rather than to Walton or Vaughan Williams. It has a
rather unusual stringency and tension hardly relieved (if at all) during the last bars of
the Finale; no easy work but one of Arnold's most important and personal achievements.
The String Quartet No.2 Op.118 was completed in 1975
during Arnold's Dublin period which by all accounts was a most harrowing one. Other works
of that period include the Symphony No.7 Op.113, one of Arnold's most violent pieces, the
enigmatic Fantasy on a Theme of John Field Op.116 and the Clarinet Concerto No.2 Op.115.
All these works have much in common: the music is often elliptical, doom-laden,
unpredictable, bleak (especially so in the slow movements). The Second String Quartet is
no exception. The troubled, ambiguous first movement finds no resolution. The following
Scherzo is still more enigmatic: it opens with some sort of cadenza for violin, the
material of which is totally alien to the rest of the work. This then turns into some
folk-like Irish jig angrily assaulted by the other strings. No dialogue whatsoever here.
The slow movement, a darkly oppressive meditation, again has a hymn-like episode unrelated
to the rest of the music. Finally the last movement partly succeeds in dispelling the
prevailing angry mood, though victory with Malcolm Arnold is neither easily approached nor
complete.
The much earlier Quintet Op.7 of 1944 (flute, violin,
viola, horn and bassoon) is one of the works written for some of Arnold's LPO colleagues.
This accounts for the somewhat unusual instrumental combination. A lighter work, it is
comparable with the celebrated Three Shanties Op.4 of 1943. The outer movements are mainly
light-hearted, though the last one is unresolved at the end, whereas the slow section is
rather more tense. In its quite short span, the Quintet Op. 7 is a remarkable example of
the all-pervading ambiguity in Arnold's music.
The novelty here is the Phantasy for String Quartet
"Vita Abundans" written in 1941. This was awarded the second prize of the
Cobbett competition that year. It is a quite remarkable piece of music in which Arnold
fully demonstrates his mastery of variation form. Its six contrasted sections follow each
other effortlessly, with an extraordinary musical logic and sureness of touch, and also a
good deal of invention. One can but wonder why this beautiful piece remained unheard for
more than fifty years.
The Ceruti Ensemble of London is a young group of gifted players
and this is their first recording. Their readings of these pieces are really very fine.
They play with assurance (though I spotted a momentary hesitation at the very beginning of
the First String Quartet), commitment and - more importantly - with affection. There is
not much to choose between their readings of the string quartets and those of the McCapra
Quartet (on CHANDOS CHAN 9112 released in 1993). The only problem with the CHANDOS release
is its short playing time. The present release, which is also an appropriate tribute to
Arnold on his 80th birthday, is a must for all "Arnoldians" who will want to
hear the splendid, long-neglected Phantasy Quartet. Unreservedly
recommended.
Hubert Culot
CD CHOICE OF THE WEEK
EVENING STANDARD HOT TICKET MAGAZINE
14/06/01
THE CERUTI ENSEMBLE
...Arnold's chamber music is even less well-known but much loved
by thoses who play it. The Ceruti Ensemble perform both of Arnold's Bartok-inflected
string quartets, the humorous, spiky, Poulenc-like quintet for flute, violin, viola, horn
and bassoon and, for the first time on disc, the 'Phantasy For String Quartet Vita
Abundans'. This last is a gripping ten-minute work of jazz rhythms and long-phrased bluesy
tunes. It is a tragedy that Arnold's music is not more frequently played. Must we wait for
his funeral?
Rick Jones Rick Jones
Classical Music on the Web 05.06.2001
Malcolm ARNOLD (b. 1921)
String Quartet No.1 Op.23 (1949)
String Quartet No.2 Op.118 (1975)
Quintet op.7 (1944, rev. 1960)
Phantasy for String Quartet "Vita Abundans" (1941)
 The Ceruti Ensemble of London
Recorded : London, November 2000
GUILD MUSIC GHCD 7216
(70:37)
Malcolm Arnold's chamber music is an important aspect of his
large output and reveals a more intimate, complex and, at times, secret composer. His two
string quartets are among the most compelling works he ever penned. They were written
during crucial periods of the composer's life. The String Quartet No.l Op.23,
completed in 1949, is a deeply personal utterance, though a quite uncharacteristic one, at
least in stylistic terms. As I have already remarked elsewhere, the First String Quartet
belongs to a group of works (Symphony for Strings Op.13 (1946), the Violin Sonata No.l
Op.15 ( 1947), the Viola Sonata Op. 17 ( 1947) and the First Clarinet Concerto Op. 20 (
1948)) which show Arnold at his most experimental and seemingly going through a
"phase of Bartók-worship", to quote the late Christopher Palmer's very apt
phrase. Indeed the music here looks to Berg or Bartók rather than to Walton or Vaughan
Williams. It has a rather unusual stringency and tension hardly relieved (if at all)
during the last bars of the Finale; no easy work but one of Arnold's most important and
personal achievements.
The String Quartet No.2 Op.118 was completed in 1975
during Arnold's Dublin period which by all accounts was a most harrowing one. Other works
of that period include the Symphony No.7 Op.113, one of Arnold's most violent pieces, the
enigmatic Fantasy on a Theme of John Field Op.116 and the Clarinet Concerto No.2 Op.115.
All these works have much in common: the music is often elliptical, doom-laden,
unpredictable, bleak (especially so in the slow movements). The Second String Quartet is
no exception. The troubled, ambiguous first movement finds no resolution. The following
Scherzo is still more enigmatic: it opens with some sort of cadenza for violin, the
material of which is totally alien to the rest of the work. This then turns into some
folk-like Irish jig angrily assaulted by the other strings. No dialogue whatsoever here.
The slow movement, a darkly oppressive meditation, again has a hymn-like episode unrelated
to the rest of the music. Finally the last movement partly succeeds in dispelling the
prevailing angry mood, though victory with Malcolm Arnold is neither easily approached nor
complete.
The much earlier Quintet Op.7 of 1944 (flute, violin,
viola, horn and bassoon) is one of the works written for some of Arnold's LPO colleagues.
This accounts for the somewhat unusual instrumental combination. A lighter work, it is
comparable with the celebrated Three Shanties Op.4 of 1943. The outer movements are mainly
light-hearted, though the last one is unresolved at the end, whereas the slow section is
rather more tense. In its quite short span, the Quintet Op. 7 is a remarkable example of
the all-pervading ambiguity in Arnold's music.
The novelty here is the Phantasy for String Quartet
"Vita Abundans" written in 1941. This was awarded the second prize of the
Cobbett competition that year. It is a quite remarkable piece of music in which Arnold
fully demonstrates his mastery of variation form. Its six contrasted sections follow each
other effortlessly, with an extraordinary musical logic and sureness of touch, and also a
good deal of invention. One can but wonder why this beautiful piece remained unheard for
more than fifty years.
The Ceruti Ensemble of London is a young group of gifted players
and this is their first recording. Their readings of these pieces are really very fine.
They play with assurance (though I spotted a momentary hesitation at the very beginning of
the First String Quartet), commitment and - more importantly - with affection. There is
not much to choose between their readings of the string quartets and those of the McCapra
Quartet (on CHANDOS CHAN 9112 released in 1993). The only problem with the CHANDOS release
is its short playing time. The present release, which is also an appropriate tribute to
Arnold on his 80th birthday, is a must for all "Arnoldians" who will want to
hear the splendid, long-neglected Phantasy Quartet. Unreservedly recommended.
Hubert Culot
MusicTeachers.co.uk Online Journal - 17.05.2001
| CHAMBER MUSIC OF MALCOLM
ARNOLD
The Ceruti Ensemble
Guild Music GMCD 7216
ŁŁŁ
String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2; Quintet for Flute, Violin, Viola, Horn and Bassoon;
Phantasy for String Quartet 'Vita Abundans' (Worldremiere Recording); TPT 70' 37 |
|
 |
| Works of breadth and imagination with skilled
performances. |
|
|
There is an intensity about the first of Arnold's quartets that, for him, is
slightly unusual due to its consistency throughout the work: from the sliding opening,
through the edginess of the Vivace and the plaintive strains of the third movement
to the finale, which slips away into the ether, there is no sign of optimism. It is the
composer's mastery of texture that really galvanises the mood of the piece and in this
respect one can hear a breadth of imagination that lifts it well above the mundane. The
use of glissandi in the first movement and harmonics in the second have a sense of
unease about them, a feeling that the Ceruti Ensemble convey with an unsettled energy that
suits the music extremely well. It is in the third movement that the playing is at its
most impressive, however. Here the expansive melodic lines are allowed to breathe, with a
tone and sense of timing that crystallises their mournful character, and draws the
listener towards the beautifully eerie atmosphere that ends this movement.
The second quartet, written more than a quarter of a century later, lacks the
powerful impact of the first, yet is nevertheless a work of originality and great appeal.
In particular, each of the four movements displays contrasting aspects of constructional
technique that typify Arnold's ingenuity. As in many of his other works, some of the
movements are broken into sections of differing tempi, a device that here works
marvellously in the last, where the driving rhythms and scurrying lines suddenly broaden
out into the closing Lento, as if sunshine has finally found a gap in the clouds
and floods onto the ground below. These sudden changes of mood within movements are often
tricky to bring off successfully in performance, but the players here are obviously well
tuned in to the composer's intentions.
The seeds for both of these works can be heard in the other piece for quartet on
the disc, the world premiere of Vita Abundans, which was written when the composer
was twenty. Structurally, the short, linked sections – six in total – are bound
together through common thematic material which provides sufficient cohesiveness to just
about hold back the impression of a series of textural snapshots. Whether this makes the
overall shape satisfactory, however, is debatable, and one gets the impression that the
composer had not yet successfully managed to master his tendency towards condensed forms.
That said, one is struck that Arnold has a clear sense of the textural possibilities the
genre offers, something that doubtless spurred him on to write the two larger quartets. In
this light, the piece is definitely worth a listen and the performers certainly give it
their best shot. From the sultry opening melody, with its quasi-Latin flavours, through to
the more manic passages in the second half of the piece, a sense of commitment pervades
the playing.
The choice of work to complete the disc offers a contrast, especially through
its unusual instrumentation, but also through its character, which is on the whole less
troubled. The Quintet contains more of the light-hearted quirkiness that features in much
of Arnold's work, including references to more popular styles of music, found throughout
the final movement. The Ceruti Ensemble underplay the cheekiness of this movement
somewhat, yet in doing so create a surreal charm reminiscent of Poulenc. The wind players
put in superb performances and the quality of recording makes it even preferable to the
Nash Ensemble's excellent reading of this piece (re-released on Hyperion CDH55073).
Anyone who considers Arnold's music to be frivolous should listen to the
quartets played on this disc; free from the features that cause some to dismiss him out of
hand they show a composer of doubtless skill, imagination and integrity.Gavin
Meredith
Page revised 20.09.2001
|
