Maggini String 4tet - BRITTEN: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2 / Three Divertimenti [CD]

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Benjamin Britten(1913-1976)String Quartet No. 1in D major, Op. 25String Quartet No. 2in C major, Op. 36Three Divertimenti forString Quartet, 'Go play, boy, play!' (1936)Benjamin Britten's compositions for string quartet include some of themost important examples of the genre in the twentieth century. They includefour quartets and three movements from an unfinished suite and reflect hisunderstanding of a medium of which he had experience as a performer.Born in Lowestoft in 1913, Britten quickly outgrew local resources forguidance in composition and was sent for instruction in 1927 to Frank Bridgewho became both teacher and friend. In common with Bridge, Britten played theviola, and his works for string instruments are from the earliest attempts,entirely idiomatic, with a thorough understanding of all aspects of performingtechniques. His brother Robert was a violinist, and Britten's firstcompositions reflected these family abilities.Frank Bridge was a fortunate choice of mentor - his harmonic leaningsfound sympathy with more contemporary European ideals, especially Berg, andthis cosmopolitan outlook, almost unique amongst British composers of the time,was quickly recognised by Britten's precocious talent. In contrast, whenBritten later attended the Royal College of Music, he found that hiscompositional style did not always find favour with the establishment. Hestudied with John Ireland, but kept in close contact with Bridge, andfrequently asked his advice. He said of these years 'They don't seem veryhappy in retrospect. I feel I didn't learn very much'.The Three Divertimenti were composed in 1933, towards the end ofhis student life at the Royal College. The three movements originally belongedto an unfinished suite for quartet entitled Alla quartetto serioso 'Go play,boy, play', and were intended as a series of portraits of school friends;the first of the athletic David Lay ton from Gresham's, Holt, his publicschool, and the third of Francis Barton, a friend from South Lodge, his earlierprivate school. The movements bore the titles PT, At the Party and Raggingbut were withdrawn, revised and re-born in 1936 as Three Divertimenti. TheMarch is one of the earliest examples of Britten's use of this form - arecurring feature of his later works. The charming Waltz has an air ofcalm relaxation before the almost mota perpetua energy of the Burlesque.They were first performed in this version by the Stratton Quartet (later tobecome the Aeolian Quartet) at the Wigmore Hall on 2Sth February 1936.Britten first met the tenor Peter Pears in 1934, but it was in 1937,after the death of the latter's close friend Peter Burra, that a relationshipbegan that was to continue until Britten's death in 1976. As the uneasy decadeof the 1930's drew to a close, Britten and Pears made the decision to move toAmerica, largely under the influence of the poet W.H. Auden and the writerChristopher Isherwood, who had despaired of the old world with its conventionsand apparent sterility.

String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25: Andante Sostenuto - Allegro Vivo

String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25: Allegretto Con Slancio

String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25: Andante Colmo

String Quartet No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25: Molto Vivace

String Quartet No. 2 In C Major, Op. 36: Allegro Calmo Senza Rigore

String Quartet No. 2 In C Major, Op. 36: Vivace

String Quartet No. 2 In C Major, Op. 36: Chacony

Three Divertimenti: March

Three Divertimenti: Waltz

Three Divertimenti: Burlesque