Peter Maxwell Davies - Naxos Quartets 5 and 6

Peter MAXWELL DAVIES  (1934-2016)

The Naxos String Quartets Vol.3

Naxos Quartet No.5  ‘Lighthouses of Orkney and Shetland’

Naxos Quartet No.6

Maggini Quartet 

Laurence Jackson (violin 1)

David Angel (violin 2) 

Martin Outram (viola)

Michal Kaznowski (cello)

Naxos Quartet No. 5 has the subtitle ‘Lighthouses of Orkney and Shetland’, which refers not only to the dramatic nocturnal sweep of a lighthouse beam across different textures of sea and shore, but to the various lighthouse “calls” – each one can be identified by the individual rhythm of its flashes of light.

There are two movements. The work opens with a slow introduction, of which the first note, B flat, is the unambiguous tonic of the whole work. The cello, at first pizzicato, then arco, carries the main argument. A fast sonata section follows, in which I have tried to lead the ear through quite complex and constant transformations in such a way that it remains always clear how the expansions and contractions of linear contour relate, and where in our journey we are in relation to the tonic, and to its dominant and subdominant, or their displaced substitutes. I regarded this as “play” – ludus – shades of Quartet No. 4 – with the constantly changing illuminated surfaces and shapes of the wave, and the relative strengths of the lighthouses’ sweeps of light across them. In Orkney and Shetland you can usually see several lighthouses at the same time when out at sea. The exposition of the sonata ends with vigorous upward scales on violins one and two, then four big crescendo tremolos, the last with a long pause. The development is short and dramatic, and extends and distorts gesture, rather than expanding the modal spectrum or changing thematic material in a new way. The recapitulation is a much shortened version of both the introduction and the exposition, with the introductory material now played presto. A brief coda takes us to C minor – the “wrong” tonality with which to end, but the “right” place in the ongoing process – the opening of the second movement resolves this, but returning to B flat. This is a slow movement using the same material entirely, and with the same form. This development is also about intensifying gesture, and here, at the end of the recapitulation builds the climax of the whole work. The coda goes right back to the opening of the first movement, and I thought of its ultimate fade-out as the sweeping beam of the North Ronaldsay light dissolving into the first light of dawn, a phenomenon I see, and enjoy, most days.

The quartet is dedicated to Thomas Daniel Schlee, composer, administrator and friend, with affection and gratitude.

Naxos Quartet No. 6 was written in December 2004 and January 2005. It is an ambitious work of six movements – a counterbalance in the cycle of ten quartets to the relatively slight fourth and fifth. I have recently been studying again Beethoven’s late quartets, and, although I am well aware that I could never aspire to write work remotely approaching such a model, I trust these studies show through positively in the present work.

The first movement is an allegro whose tonality becomes ever clearer, or, rather, relationships are gradually exposed between chords which will be more fully explored and fleshed out later. The second movement, based on an Advent plainsong, is entitled Dominica Tertia Adventus, Antiphona, and is a short scherzo and trio, in pizzicato. The third movement is a second scherzo, with trio, of a more substantial nature, though still quite brief. The return of the scherzo material is varied, and prepares the listener for the fourth movement. The fourth movement is an adagio contrasting sections of warm lyricism with a more dramatic and dissonant central section. Towards the end, each instrument has a recitative, during which the other three players hold sustained chords: the last bars of the movement are the first in the Naxos Quartets to have a key-signature, of four flats, for F minor. It was Christmas Day when I wrote the fifth movement, before movements three and four, and it is based on a Christmas plainsong, and becomes a simple carol. The finale is quick, and takes up again material from the first movement, expanding and transforming this.

The quartet is dedicated to Alexander Goehr.

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William Hedley

MusicWeb International, March 2007

Grievous admission, perhaps, but this is my first encounter with the prestigious series of string quartets Naxos commissioned from the Master of the Queen's Music. At least that means that I come to these two works with no preconceived ideas, except of course that the disc has already been widely reviewed, notably by two colleagues here on MusicWeb International.

Whether we like it or not many music lovers remain reluctant to venture very far into contemporary music – taking "contemporary" to mean anything after Mahler – and Naxos is to be congratulated on this brave initiative. I believe many listeners will find these works difficult at first, but a record such as this one will surely encourage them to persevere, perhaps even to be more adventurous and look farther afield.

Quartet No. 6 plays for almost twice as long as No. 5. The first of the six movements – so writes the composer in the accompanying notes – "…is an allegro whose tonality becomes ever clearer" and whilst it is true that the closing stages of the movement are more easily assimilated than the highly dissonant, spiky, Bartókian opening, it remains fairly challenging all the same. The movement ends inconclusively, leading to the short, pizzicato scherzo which follows. The following movement is also a scherzo, with fragments of melody tossed about between the instruments, one in particular, a rhythmic, dance-like figure. The trio section is like a slow dance, over held notes. "The return of the scherzo material is varied" writes the composer, but it would be instructive to see the score – and not only for this reason – as I no longer hear the dance-like figure amongst the ghostly, sul ponticello effects which bring the movement to its close. The fourth movement is the longest, beginning with a lengthy, richly scored lyrical passage. A middle section is bitingly dissonant and a striking passage towards the end involves four cadenzas, one for each instrument. This is the most searching movement of the six, and the one which best demonstrates the link with late Beethoven to which the composer alludes in his notes, as the music addresses weighty matters after the manner of a great Beethoven adagio. The fifth movement, based on a Christmas plainsong – and composed on Christmas Day: do composers ever take time off? – comes as gentle relief after such searching intensity. The  composer refers to it as "a simple carol". The astringency of the opening returns for the finale, building up a good head of steam before the end which makes dramatic use, as does the whole quartet, of tremolando writing.

Quartet No. 5 is a less demanding listen but I wonder if it not more difficult to discern the composer's aims than in the later one? Sadly, his notes will be of little help to the average listener. Of the main section of the first movement he writes "I have tried to lead the ear through quite complex and constant transformations in such a way that it remains always clear how the expansions and contractions of linear contour relate, and where in our journey we are in relation to the tonic, and to its dominant and subdominant, or their displaced substitutes." Quite so, but to what extent a listener unable to read the score can follow such arguments – and there is more where they came from – remains to be seen. The actual musical argument is coherent and logical though, and the variety of sound and texture the composer draws from the four instruments is always striking. A listener ready simply to submit to the music will therefore not need to worry about technical aspects, rewarding though it might well be to study them later. In only two movements, the opening sonorities of the quartet, with much glissando writing, are beguiling. The second movement is half as long again as the first, and predominantly slow and meditative. Only to a very limited extent can I perceive, for the moment, just how it comes to use "the same material entirely" as the first movement "and with the same form." Again it is preferable at this stage simply to allow the music to lead the ear along. The end of the work, a long diminuendo disappearing into nothing with glissando and pizzicato, is particularly affecting, evoking as it does the "sweeping beam of the North Ronaldsay lighthouse dissolving into the first light of dawn".

The performances by the Maggini Quartet are beyond praise and the recording is immediate and lifelike. The disc is presented to the usual high Naxos standard, and whilst it is logical and prestigious that the composer should provide the insert note I do wish his essay had been more accessible to the general reader. After three hearings of each quartet I am still only beginning to get to know and understand them, but the music is compelling and invites rehearing. My initial impressions were of music that I would learn to respect rather than love, but each time I discover moments of beauty that I hadn't heard before. Those readers still hesitant about "contemporary" music and ready for a challenge are warmly encouraged to try this disc.