Yet, I also wasn't taken with the recording I heard it from, that of the Villiers Quartet on Naxos. I would have chucked that CD to The Kraken, were it not for the reconstructed String Quartet in C minor from Delius, the only version of that work thus far (BLOG).
So, I vowed to return to Smyth's quartet to try once again, and here I am...
Well, I can say with certainty, this performance from the Mannheim Quartet is much, much more convincing than the Villiers Quartet, who were loose of ensemble and in poor sound. This is much finer advocacy of Smyth's E-minor Quartet.
I am still not taken with the work as a whole. Any string quartet timing over 20-30 minutes in length needs to be really special, and that is not the quality I get from this piece. To me, it sounds as if Smyth has found late-Romanticism, and in general, there are just too many notes, and the composer doesn't know when to stop. This is especially true of the first and third movements, where their development goes on and on. It doesn't help the opening movement has an exposition repeat, repeating material which didn't strike me on the first time around, although I did take to the hymn-like ideas in the third movement.
It should come as no surprise I enjoyed the second and fourth movements much more, especially since they are the most concise portions of the quartet, and of simpler, thematically stronger material.
Not all is a loss, however, because I really enjoyed Smyth's String Quintet in E Major, this recording's pairing. It is certainly a more conservative work compared to the string quartet, clued in by its op. 1, and adds an extra cello to the quartet makeup.
The first, third, and fifth movements are joyous affairs, where the opening hunting-horn calls and galloping figures tie the work together as a whole. I also rather liked the two slower movement which reside between the three mentioned, the second a bit menacing overall. Akin to the later E-minor Quartet, the two works share a hymn-like slow movement and a fugue-like opening to their finales, yet Smyth does it much more convincingly and concisely in this quintet. Plus, I am sucker for major-keyed romps!
While Ethel Smyth's string quartet isn't for me, if one were wanting to explore the work, this would be the place to hear it, coupled with a wonderful quintet. Those who like the longueurs of late-Romanticism might like the former more than I, plus, I can't complain about these performances one mite.
Listen on YouTube
Works
String Quartet in E minor (25.55)
String Quintet in E Major (39.35)
Performers
Mannheim Quartet
Joachim Griesheimer, cello
Label: CPO
Year: 1996
Total Timing: 68.29
I am a physical-media maven, but after disliking Ethel Smyth's String Quartet in E minor, I didn't want to further invest in something I wasn't taken with. So I took to my online sources and gave another listen.
What I can't argue about is the fine playing on this recording. Mannheim easily trumps what I heard from the Villiers Quartet.
While the string quartet is still not my cup of tea as a whole, I found great joy in hearing Smyth's String Quintet in E Major. This is the one I would return to, plus I have since found other works to enjoy from the composer from my initial meeting!
Find more Smyth recordings HERE!
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