Leave it to this recording to thrust me into the darker world of the British composer's music. Of course, chamber music, specifically the string quartet, are usually very personal mediums for composers, so I should have expected as much from Arnold. After all, he was a man who lived a hard life.
Before I get to the string quartets proper, the earliest work here is the Phantasy Quartet, subtitled 'Vita Abundans' - Life Abounds. The Phantasy title comes from a famous British endowment competition which has found the likes of Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten, and Eugene Goossens participating.
The early, one-movement piece is a lot of fun, and although modern sounding, takes more from the lighter side of Arnold. I almost sense a Hispanic dance quality throughout, no matter whether the tempo is slow or fast.
String Quartet no. 1 almost caught me off guard by how discordant and angular it was. The work is rather compact, lasting only 18 minutes across four movements, but offers little in the way of Arnold's lighter, smiling music in lieu of harrowing discomfort. As with even the most difficult music from the composer though, he offers short motives, both melodic and rhythmic, to hook the listener.
The middle two movements are the most characterful, but by no means uplifting. The opening movement presses the seriousness upon the listener, while the final movement's rhythms lighten the mood slightly to grey.
Nearly 30 years separates the first string quartet from Arnold's String Quartet no. 2. The second is by far the stronger work. No, its music isn't 'easy', but there is a wide swing of styles and approaches from the composer which garners interest. Also, his use of dissonance is not as harsh as that of the first, endearing it more to this listener.
The change of harmonic style specifically allows quite a bit more passion to play in this music. Arnold's short melodic cells are given more to imitation too, allowing me to follow the music more coherently. While this is still serious music, I detect an allowance of playfulness to come and go amongst the heavy moods, which makes the listening experience all the more voluble and effective.
The Maggini Quartet are active players in Malcolm Arnold's quartets. They hit his music with a strong, edgy quality at its most severe, yet they can make his songfulness lyrically sweet as well. Naxos' sonics in Potton Hall capture the quartet closely, adding to the strength of their attacks.
Works
String Quartet 1, op. 23 (18.37)
String Quartet 2, op. 118 (27.32)
Phantasy Quartet 'Vita Abundans' (10.50)
Performers
Maggini Quartet
Laurence Jackson, violin
David Angel, violin
Martin Outram, viola
Michael Kaznowski, cello
Label: Naxos
Year: 2007
Total Timing: 56.59
None of these are going to be favorite works of mine. Yet, Malcolm Arnold is all about the unexpected.
This makes his String Quartet no. 2 and the Phantasy Quartet a great pleasure to listen to, albeit for completely different reasons.
I have not heard competing recordings, but the Maggini's attacks are sharp while Naxos' sound is close. A good combination, I think.
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