McEwen, despite his
squarely Victorian birthdate, evolved
a style both invigorating, sweetly neo-romantic
and continental. One can easily imagine
the 1918 quartet played by the Bohemian
Quartet. The music of this compact quarter
hour triptych is in touch with Continental
models such as the Smetana First Quartet,
Max d’Ollonne’s quartet and the quartets
of Karl Weigl; not that McEwen would
have heard any of these apart from the
Smetana. The hustling finale hints at
a vigorous folk tune. The Second Quartet
dates back twenty years to the time
when he had just been appointed professor
of harmony and counterpoint at the Royal
Academy of Music. The first movement
is a richly woven canvas with evidence
of folk influences (and pace contemporary
critic’s notes) not especially Scottish.
I thought more immediately of English
folksong and this ‘voice’ returns in
the marcato resolution violin solo at
1.42 (tr.5). A playful ripely skittering
Vivace follows.
Twenty years on from
the Eighth Quartet, and after a long
therapeutic stay in the coastal village
of Cap Ferret not far from Bordeaux,
came the Fifteenth Quartet in modo
scotico. This is rife with folksong
voices all woven with streaming playfulness,
bustle and musing reflection: part
Ravel, part Dvořák and part Vaughan
Williams. These tunes (e.g. 2.01, tr.8)
would have spoken directly to Holst
Williams. There are also moments here
where the instrumental writing in Vaughan
Williams’ On Wenlock Edge
comes irresistibly to mind. McEwen
seems to be cozying up to the ‘Coloured
Counties’ rather than the heather and
the thistle although the Scottish flavour
of the touchingly delectable tune at
tr. 9 3.32 is undeniable. The extraordinary
convulsively clucking finale partakes
of Grainger (Reel and Strathspey),
Bartók, Kodály and Rózsa
and in the last few pages has the tumultuous
activity we find in John Foulds’ Quartetto
Intimo (Pearl). Once heard never
forgotten. While Eddie McGuire, Ronald
Stevenson and Erik Chisholm were to
take this Caledonian wildness a step
further this is remarkable writing by
anyone’s reckoning. Once again Chandos
compel us to rewrite our histories and
our assumptions. Another discovery.
Let’s have all nineteen McEwen quartets
Chandos.
Rob Barnett
Volume
1
John
Blackwood McEwen (1868-1948)
String Quartets Volume 1 - Quartet
No. 16 'Quartette Provençale'
(1936) - Quartet for Strings No.7
'Threnody' (1916) - Quartet No.
4 (1905) - Fantasia for String
Quartet No. 17 (1947) 
Chilingirian Quartet - Recorded at Snape
Maltings Concert Hall 19/20 February
2001; 9/10 November 2001 (No.4)
CHANDOS CHAN 9926 [68.49] [JF]
This
is an exciting opportunity to explore
some of the string quartets by one of
the great masters of the form. Each
of these works can be regarded as a
masterpiece. Each one deserves it place
in the performing repertoire. … see
Full
Review
Volume
2
RECORDING
OF THE MONTH John
Blackwood MCEWEN
(1868-1948) String
Quartets Volume 2 String Quartet
No. 3 (1901) String Quartet No. 6 Biscay
(1913) String Quartet No. 13 (1928)
Chilingirian Quartet Recorded Snape
Maltings Concert Hall, 9-11 November
2001
CHANDOS CHAN 10084 [58.30] [JW]
...the
Chilingirians really do bring life and
joyous affirmation to this......
a most enthusiastic welcome...see Full
Review
and
also
McEWEN
Violin Sonatas No.
2; No. 5 Sonata-Fantasia
& No 6, Prince Charlie
- A Scottish Fantasia
Olivier Charlier (violin); Geoffrey
Tozer (piano) rec 16/17 March 2000 Potton
Hall, Suffolk
CHANDOS CHAN 9880 [62:43] [JF]
It is dangerous
for a reviewer to abuse superlatives
- but this is a phenomenal disc. The
playing is superb and the programme
is revelatory.
