The title of Dempster’s
Fourth String Quartet derives from Mackay
Brown’s A Reel of Seven Fishermen,
a text that also inspired Maxwell Davies
for his similarly titled orchestral
work. This compact piece opens with
an arresting gesture abounding in formidable
energy. Later, this contrasts with dance-like
sections and with faint echoes of music
heard in the distance: hymn-like tunes
and hints of fiddle music. A restatement
of the opening music leads straight
into a beautiful coda "like the
memory of a memory", to quote the
present annotator. This concise work
is really very fine, and Dempster has
obviously a real flair for the medium,
for this is already his fourth essay
in the genre, and highly successful
at that. If his first three string quartets
are nearly as fine as this one, I would
really like to hear them.
Just as Dempster’s
The Cold Dancer relates
to Mackay Brown, so does Clapperton’s
The Great Divorce relate
to a short book by C.S. Lewis. One of
the immediately striking features of
this work is the fact that the instruments
play muted throughout and that dynamics
rarely rise above mp, which imbues
the music with a dreamlike, somewhat
ambiguous character, still emphasised
by the contrapuntal nature of much of
the music. It is as if everything happens
in a dream. The modal inflections and
the various folk allusions suggest Highland
fiddle music, "to represent the
composer’s desire to come to terms with
an aspect of his cultural inheritance"
(John Fallas). As in the case of Dempster’s
quartet, one might ask whether any prior
knowledge of the literary source behind
the music may enhance one’s listening
experience. I suppose that it might
help; but, as far as I am concerned,
I find that the music has enough intrinsic
atmosphere and expression to be enjoyed
in its own right. This is a beautiful
work that generously repays repeated
hearings.
Surprisingly, this
is the second recording within a few
months time of Judith Weir’s String
Quartet, that has otherwise
remained unrecorded and apparently little
performed for many years. Another recording
is available on Genuin GEN 86065 ("The
British Book") that I reviewed
a few months ago. The music is warmly
lyrical and melodic throughout, and
its apparent, often deceptive simplicity
is further enhanced by the strict reliance
on "normal" bowing and deliberate
avoidance of any ‘modern’ string playing
technique all-too-often heard in recent
music. Typically enough, too, Weir never
overworks her material, so that the
music never outstays its welcome. I
hope that this lovely work will soon
become permanently part of the string
quartet’s repertoire.
Sweeney’s String
Quartet No.3 is a substantial
and elaborate work originally planned
as a large-scale single movement based
on two sets of contrasting material
briefly interrupted by what the composer
describes as "solo or duet reflections".
The work, however, has considerably
outgrown the composer’s intentions.
Although there are now three movements,
incorporating such "solo or duet
reflections", the whole may still
be perceived as a long single movement,
in three continuous, contrasted sections;
and the coherence of the whole is achieved
through variants of the two basic sets
of material. That said, it might probably
be far-fetched to describe the work
as a theme and variations. The first
movement opens with "nebulous chordal
shapes" (John Fallas), from which
melodic phrases slowly emerge. There
is much interplay between these two
sets that sometimes exchange their character,
whereas the contours of each movement
are somewhat blurred in a successful
attempt to tighten the structure of
the work. The music eventually unfolds
according to its own inner logic, which
– again – tends to emphasise the continuity
between the movements. As in Dempster’s
and Clapperton’s works, the melodic
fragments often allude to some imaginary
folk music without actually quoting
any of it. Another parallel with Dempster’s
and Clapperton’s string quartets is
the suggestion of yet another literary
source, Hugh MacDiarmid this time; but,
again, the music can be enjoyed on its
own terms.
Performances and recording
are first rate, and I really enjoyed
this magnificent release. I hope that
the Edinburgh Quartet and Delphian will
soon give us more of such fine stuff.
Much very beautiful music to be heard
here.
Hubert Culot
See also review
by Jonathan Woolf A
March RECORDING OF THE MONTH
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