Goossens: Chamber Music Roundup

 

Here is a smattering of chamber music and concertante works from Sir Eugene Goossens.

I wasn't bowled over by the composer's orchestral music, but thought I would make an effort to continue.

Concertino for String Octet &
Phantasy Sextet

I am glad I continued with the composer, though, for his Concertino is an absolute gem. There is a quality mixture of striking Neo-Classical rhythms and Neo-Romantic lushness on hand.

Goossens isn't too shabby with catchy melodies and rhythmic motives either, providing the listener a firm grounding throughout. This may be my favorite from the composer altogether, well played by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble.

The Phantasy Sextet is composed in a similar vein as the Concertino, even if its parts aren't as memorable as the first. Still, if you like Goossens' musical mixture, this string sextet should still continue to please.

Phantasy Quartet

My previous description could equally apply to this string quartet as well.

The big difference, though, is the Bridge Quartet's ensemble tuning is not the best, and their sturdy tempos seem chosen as reticent.

Too bad, since I believe this may be the only recording of the work to be had.

Otherwise, if you can look beyond the playing, this music fits nicely with the previous chamber works listed, despite the early opus number.

Fantasy for Nine Wind Instruments

ABC Classics, alongside Vernon Handley, were an early proponent of the music from Eugene Goossens in the CD era. Their three recordings lie next to Chandos' later three, offering a few different options between the two trios of recordings.

One of the differences is the inclusion of the composer's Fantasy for Winds. This piece would work nicely alongside the wind quintets of Nielsen and Prokofiev.

Again, Neo-Classicism and lush Romanticisms are put in contrast by Goossens. He calls for one flute, oboe, and trumpet each, in addition to pairs of clarinets, bassoons, and horns. I like the punchy quality of the instrumentalists here, I assume taken from within the Sydney Symphony Orchestra wind sections.

Oboe Concerto

I was quite reticent approaching another concerto from Goossens, as both Phantasy Concertos did very little for me.

Luckily, the composer has another winner in this Oboe Concerto. Like the others in this roundup, which all seem to feature his opus numbers of the 30s and 40s, lovely rhythmic incisiveness and pastoral qualities are balanced well.

The acoustic is a little billowy in this ASV recording, but Ruth Bolister really plays out, almost aggressively so. I could imagine a more cohesive performance, of which there are a number of recordings available.

Perhaps it is the middle opus numbers which lead to me to like these pieces from Goossens, where his later ones mostly miss with me. Either way, the Concertino for Strings and the Oboe Concerto are works from the composer of real substance and worth a peek.

 

 

 

Recording Round-up

Concertino for String Octet, op. 47
Phantasy Sextet, op. 35
  Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
  Chandos, 1997

Oboe Concerto, op. 45
  Ruth Bolister, oboe
  Elgar Chamber Orchestra
  ASV, 2003

Phantasy Quartet, op. 12
  Bridge Quartet
  EM Records, 2015

Fantasy for Nine Wind Instruments
  Sydney Symphony Orchestra
  ABC Classics, 1994

 

 

 

 

Find more Goossens recordings HERE!