Cyril Scott: String Quartets 1, 2 and 4

Cyril Scott

String Quartets 1,2 and 4

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Noted as an influence on Grainger, Vaughan Williams, and other contemporaries, Cyril Scott was possibly the most experimental of English composers in the early twentieth century. His chromatically ambiguous and highly atmospheric music was considered daring for its time, but today it seems no harder to grasp than, say, late Strauss or early Bartók. Indeed, Scott's String Quartet No. 1 may remind the listener of Bartók's first quartet, for both composers shared an uncanny affinity for enharmonically modulating counterpoint, elegiac moods, folk-dance rhythms, and specialized string effects. The String Quartet No. 2 is also similar to Bartók in its deployment of massed string tutti and modal melodies, and its many unusual techniques -- such as multi-stopped pizzicati, glissandi, difficult harmonics, and col legno bowing -- suggest an acceptance of the modern idea of the string quartet as a virtuoso's medium. Scott's String Quartet No. 4 is the most fully developed and mature, still adventurous in its chromatic language but less dependent on novel string effects for the sake of variety. The Archaeus Quartet has some intonation problems and is occasionally harsh in tone, but its playing overall is passionate and convincing. Closely recorded but with high resonance, the recording captures the ensemble's inaccuracies as well as its brilliant moments.

Cyril Scott

String Quartet No.1
String Quartet No.2
String Quartet No.4

ARCHÆUS QUARTET:

Ann Hooley & Bridget Davey (violins)
Elizabeth Turnbull (viola)
Martin Thomas (cello)

Recorded at Henry Wood Hall, London
3-5 August 2003

CDLX 7138

FLAC/Scans