The story of the genesis and the re-discovery of Hubert
Parry’s String Quartet No.3 is a delight. After rehearsals during
February 1880, the work was premiered at 12 Orme Square (the home of Edward
Dannreuther) on 26 February 1880. It was programmed alongside works by
Schumann, Wagner, Beethoven and the Italian Giovanni Sgambati. Parry was
largely happy with the performance. The liner-notes suggest that there were
no subsequent performances in the composer’s lifetime. Alas, the
unpublished holograph was mixed up with some documents belonging to Gerald
Finzi. Fortunately, it was identified by Philip Thomas and Stephen Banfield
in 1992. It was duly broadcast by the Almeira Quartet and was given at a
student’s recital at the Royal Academy of Music. The present disc is
the work’s first ‘commercial’ recording.
The Quartet in in four movements. I found the general mood of this
work a little unsettling - which probably reflects the composer’s
intention. Michael Allis refers to the ‘tonal instability’ of
the opening movement. There is a good balance between the bustling opening
theme and a ‘hymn like’ idea and a delightful cantabile tune.
The second movement, ‘andante’ opens with a charming melody
accompanied by a gentle pizzicato. Later, the mood darkens and a more
dramatic tone enters. The third movement is the one that took me by
surprise. So far the music has been relatively restrained and cerebral,
however the ‘death’s head scherzo’ has ‘something of
the night’ in it - at least in the ‘minuet’ section. This
is ‘ghostly music’ that is genuinely scary. The
‘trio’ is a little bit more positive - but this is soon pushed
out of the way by a reprise of the sinister music. This is a hugely
impressive and inspired ‘scherzo’ by an Englishman that has lain
hidden for a century. The CD is worth the price for this movement alone. The
final ‘rondo,’ an ‘allegro moderato’ restores some
normality. This is not straightforward music: there are many twists and
turns before the final return of the main themes. A strong sense of purpose
and a unity of musical material makes this an extremely satisfying and
enjoyable String Quartet.
Michael Allis notes that the ‘catalyst’ for the String
Quintet in E flat major was ‘probably’ a performance of Brahms
String Quintet in F major, which was given at a Monday ‘Pops’
concert in March 1883. Parry’s work was completed the following year
and was premièred at Dannreuther’s concert on 18 March 1884.
Apparently it did not go too well. The first fiddle was ‘not strong
enough to lead the thing’ and the cellist was ‘not quite in
tune’. After a rejection from Joachim, who felt that the slow movement
was too long, the work was revived and published in 1909. It is not stated
how the quintet fared, but I guess that it quickly dropped out of the
repertoire.
The Quintet opens with a gorgeous expressive tune that seems to
prefigure Elgar. There is a transition to another romantic tune. Parry
experiments with a large variety of string textures that leads to new
possibilities at every bar. It is a finely developed ‘sonata’
form that perfectly balances the logical with the inspired. It is positive
music that is tinged with regret, constantly evolving and pushing forward
towards a personal resolution. I found this movement both instructive and
moving. The ‘scherzo’ is placed second and is played
‘allegro molto’. Unlike the ‘scherzo’ in the String
Quartet this is spirited music - I would not suggest that it is without a
care in the world; there are no demons to exorcise here. Parry brings a
little bit of harmonic bite into the ‘trio’ section making use
of ‘chromatic sequences’ and the ‘diabolic tri-tone’
- which was a feature of the earlier work.
I baulk at saying that Parry sounds like Elgar - or vice versa, yet
one cannot listen to the heart-achingly beautiful ‘andante
sostenuto’ without making some analogous comparisons. There is a
‘sospiro’ like atmosphere about this work that suggests the end
of an era or a sense of loss. The viola is especially prominent in this
movement. Unsurprisingly, the mood changes in the final movement. Things
become much more easy-going: the music is signed ‘vivace’ -
lively. In fact this sense of liveliness becomes ‘con fuoco’ -
with fire towards the end. In the round, this is an extremely satisfying
work that explores a wide range of emotion and reflects near technical
perfection.
Parry’s chamber music is slowly being recognized by record companies.
There
are currently recordings of the Violin and Cello Sonatas, the fine Piano
Trios,
some pieces for violin and piano and the Nonet.
This present CD will appeal to two groups of people. Firstly there
are the Parry enthusiasts (myself included) who will grab the opportunity of
possessing two first class pieces of chamber music from the composer’s
early period. They will find two works that are an absolute delight to
listen to. The second group of listeners may well be those attracted to
British chamber music in general and are looking for avenues of exploration
from a time when England was deemed to be a ‘land without
music’. This group will find in these pieces considerable
encouragement to realise that worthy music of this calibre was being
composed in the 1870s and 1880s.
It seems largely redundant to point out that the Bridge String
Quartet play these two works with great sensitivity and poise. There is
clarity of texture that reveals high workmanship. These are moving and
stimulating performances that exploit Parry’s intentions to a high
degree. The two pieces are given the best possible opportunity to establish
themselves in the repertoire.
The liner-notes are impressive. There is a ‘personal
tribute’ from Hubert Parry’s great grand-daughter Laura Ponsonby
which reminds the reader of a few of the myths and legends of the composer.
I appreciated her remark about a missing musical score -‘Don’t
say it is lost, but rather it’s not yet been found.’ There is a
short ‘bio’ of the composer by Jeremy Dibble, extracted from his
important study of the composer
C. Hubert Parry: His Life and Music
(1992). The ‘programme notes’ by the Parry scholar Michael Allis
are as comprehensive as one could wish. Finally the gorgeous cover picture
of Highham Court Church will surely encourage some music-lovers to buy this
disc ‘on spec’ - they will not be disappointed.
John France
