Maggini Quartet - Arnoldstring Quartets No 1 2 [CD]

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Sir Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2   Although his output centres on nine symphonies and two dozen concertos, chamber music was not neglected by Sir Malcolm Arnold. Numerous of these are compact pieces with a 'divertimento' character, but the two string quartets are emphatically of a serious nature. Both, moreover, came at crucial junctures in his career, which may well account for their intensity of expression: Arnold confronting his experiences head-on so that they can be transcended by his music. The publication and recording of Arnold 's early music has made available numerous works of interest. Not least his Phantasy for String Quartet, completed in June 1941 and entered for the Cobbett Prize: a chamber music competition founded by the philanthropist W. W. Cobbett, whose advocacy had been of benefit to numerous British composers. Although the piece was awarded only second prize (the first going to Ruth Gipps), and appears not to have been performed publicly, Arnold reworked part in his Wind Quintet of 1942 and clearly retained affection for it. The subtitle, 'Vita Abundans ' (Abundant Life), may refer to the generative potential of musical motifs, a concept amply demonstrated by this piece. Over syncopated pizzicati unfolds a moody, blues-inflected theme that gradually gains in impetus. Discussed intently by the quartet, between whom melody and accompaniment are resourcefully shared, it leads into the central section, a melancholic idea presented in richly expressive harmony and undercut by brusque interjections that presage a more animated third section. Heard initially against a tremolando accompaniment, an incisive rhythmic idea quickly takes hold of the instruments in different ways; the momentum building accordingly so a purposeful motion is gradually attained. At length, the theme from the central section is recalled, only for fragments from the rhythmic idea to interrupt with increasing frequency, before rounding off the work with a tersely conclusive gesture. It was the award of the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 1948 that led Arnold to terminate his career as a trumpeter (in which capacity he had served with distinction in both the London Philharmonic and BBC Symphony orchestras), and concentrate on composition. His works of this period explore a number of stylistic possibilities that, while not typical of the mature composer, are employed with a conviction that makes them nothing if not idiomatic. Such is true of the First String Quartet, composed in 1949 and given its première by the London Quartet in a BBC Third Programme concert in November the following year. Like the First Symphony [ Naxos 8.553406] which immediately preceded it, the quartet is a tough and uncompromising work; the presence of unexpected but potent influences (notably Bartók and early Hindemith) giving it its individuality, as well as a motivic compression that brings the work in at under twenty minutes. An icily-descend

Allegro Commodo

Vivace

Andante - Allegretto Tranquillo - Andante

Allegro Con Spirito

Allegro

Maestoso con molto rubato - Allegro vivace

Andante - Allegretto Tranquillo - Andante

Allegretto - Vivace - Lento

Phantasy for String Quartet 'Vita Abundans' - Malcolm Arnold