Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976)
Complete String Quartets
String Quartet in D (1933-34) [21:13]
Simple Symphony Op. 4 [16:28]
String Quartet No.1 in D Op.25 (1941) [27:56]
String Quartet No.2 in C Op.36 (1946) [31:23]
String Quartet No.3 Op.94 (1975) [31:08]
The Britten Quartet (Peter Manning, Keith Pascoe (violins), Peter Lake (viola),
Andrew Shulman (cello))
rec. October 1989-May 1990, Snape Maltings. DDD
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 9168 [66.08 + 63.36]
This excellent bargain-price set features the complete string quartet music
of Benjamin Britten - presumably meaning the complete quartets of the mature
Britten, given that he had already composed six strings quartets by the age
of the twelve!
It opens with his 1931 string quartet in D - composed written while Britten
was still a student at the Royal College of Music. The first (written a decade
later in 1941), second (of 1945) and third quartets (1975) are also, of course,
included - and these four works are all given superb performances by the Britten
Quartet - full of spirit and verve. The rapport between the players is palpable;
there is an excellent sense of ensemble, and the playing is incisive and clearly
articulated. The recording was made, appropriately enough, in the Snape Maltings,
and the good acoustics of the building result in a sound that combines warmth
and reverberance with clarity - with each individual part being pleasingly
audible.
The surprise inclusion on the disc is the Simple Symphony, in which
the young composer revisited earlier compositions to produce a work of intense
energy, vitality and craftsmanship. Britten added instructions in the score
that would enable a performance of the work by string quartet rather than
the usual string orchestra - and the rendition here is a tour de force.
The Britten Quartet make an extraordinarily full sound - so much so that one
forgets at times that they are just a quartet rather than larger forces. The
final movement in particular - Frolicsome Finale - receives a bravura
performance, and is taken at an electrifying pace - far faster than a string
orchestra could manage - unless said orchestra had exceptional capabilities!
This is an illuminating and fascinating version; which works fantastically
well for string quartet.
On the whole, I was greatly impressed by this set, in which the Britten Quartet
give intelligent and radiant performances, demonstrating not just their affinity
and understanding of the composer whose name they bear, but also their talent
and consummate skill.
Em Marshall
I was greatly impressed by this set: intelligent and radiant performances,
talent and consummate skill.