This has been something
of a staple of the Bridge chamber discography
for a decade or so and additionally
charts the early mastery of the Maggini
Quartet in this kind of repertory.
The bulk is of early
Bridge. I spent several hours at the
Royal College of Music in London not
long ago and went through the College’s
concert programme collection. Bridge
was a prominent performer at college
chamber concerts, often with members
of the prototype English String Quartet
of which he was the violist. He features
alongside luminaries such as C Warwick
Evans - later cellist of the London
Quartet - and a host of soon-to-be senior
players on the London circuit. Small
wonder that, by 1906, by which time
he’d written the Phantasie Quartet,
Noveletten and the Three Idylls
he evinced such control of architecture
and texture.
The Phantasie Quartet
conforms, just about, to the Cobbett
Competition prescriptions as to form.
The Maggini decisively bring out the
tersely enjoyable march rhythms of the
Allegro moderato. Balance and voice
leading are thoughtful and considered;
dynamics are assured. The mixture of
geniality and incision that informs
the final panel of a work that falls
into three distinct moods is a splendid
end to a winning traversal. Bridge here
was nowhere near as adventurous harmonically
or stylistically as his contemporary
viola-playing colleague H Waldo Warner,
whose own Phantasie Quartet drifts
to France for its inspiration. It’s
well worth a recording. It’s not had
one since about 1923 when Warner, a
member of the London Quartet, recorded
it for Vocalion.
The Novelletten
preceded the Quartet by a year.
They’re actually rather more forward-looking
than the Quartet, especially the first.
The fine density of tone in unison passages
alerts one to the Maggini’s confidence
here. Equally the playfulness and more
serioso side of the central piece are
well coalesced. The sweetly assertive Allegro vivo is spiced with rubato-aware
panache.
The Three Idylls is the finest work here. The harmonic
advances and greater sophistication
of expressive nuance are palpable. The
Maggini are particularly successful
in exploring the introspective quality
of the first of the three, where their
playing reaches a fine plateau of understanding.
The last of the three is notable for
the kind of élan that graced
the Phantasie Quartet.
To round out the programme
we have a selection of favourites. Bridge
plays thematic and harmonically teasing
games with The Londonderry Air
and spins out a genial Sir Roger
de Coverley with a naughtily emergent
counter theme. The final works are the
Three Pieces, charming shavings from
the chamber bench, the longest of which
is the last at two minutes. This last
is described in the notes as a bit of "Brighton Pier" – not inappropriately
as it’s a cheeky slice of English music
making. I have a fondness for the second
of the three pieces, though, which is
a charming and wistful little Moderato.
Bridge could turn his hand to Music
Hall and to Light music when he wanted
to.
Succinct and very decent,
though not optimum, sound completes
the package. You might prefer the Coull
in the Three Idylls for its greater
obvious expression (Helios CDH55218)
and somewhat better recorded quality
but it’s coupled with the quartets of
Elgar and Walton. As a single disc devoted
to Early Bridge the Maggini’s is still
a classy contribution.
Jonathan Woolf
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Maggini Quartet 
