RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet - Stanford: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 (2005)

Tracklist

01. String Quartet No. 1 in G Major, Op. 44: I. Allegro assai
02. String Quartet No. 1 in G Major, Op. 44: II. Poco allegro e grazioso – Presto – Tempo I – Presto – Tempo I
03. String Quartet No. 1 in G Major, Op. 44: III. Largo con molto espressione
04. String Quartet No. 1 in G Major, Op. 44: IV. Allegro molto
05. String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 45: I. Molto moderato – Più moto – Tempo I – Più moto – Tempo I
06. String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 45: II. Prestissimo
07. String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 45: III. Andante espressivo
08. String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 45: IV. Allegro molto
09. Phantasy for Horn and String Quartet in A Minor

Think of Stanford and the genre of the string quartet probably won’t come to mind. But he composed no fewer than eight such works over a twenty-eight year period, inspired by his friendship with the great violinist Joseph Joachim. Stanford had already composed a number of large-scale chamber works before he began his first string quartet in the summer of 1891, when he was thirty-nine; the second string quartet followed immediately during a burst of dazzling creativity. Both quartets are serious, big-boned works that show Stanford’s mastery of the idiom and ability as a contrapuntist, although they generally display textures that are lighter and more transparent than the thicker palette of Brahms (with whom Stanford is sometimes compared). These delightful works also reveal Stanford’s love of song and lyricism. Throughout, the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet plays with a rare sensitivity and a natural eloquence.

The Horn Fantasy—a later work, dating from 1922—is dramatic, compelling and flawlessly written for the genre (a rare combination of instruments and quite possibly composed as a tribute to Mozart, whom Stanford greatly admired), and it is superbly played by Stephen Stirling.

All works are here recorded for the first time.

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