Benjamin Frith, Members of the Dante and Endellion Quartets – Stanford – Chamber Works (2020) [FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz]

Benjamin Frith, Members of the Dante and Endellion Quartets – Stanford – Chamber Works (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:06:28 minutes | 1,05 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © SOMM Recordings

SOMM Recordings’ widely acclaimed survey of Charles Villiers Stanford’s chamber music continues with his two String Quintets and Three Intermezzi arranged for cello and piano.

A unique collaboration between members of the Dante and Endellion Quartets, together with pianist Benjamin Frith, sees first recordings of the String Quintet No.2 in C minor and the arrangement of the Three Intermezzi.

Composed with Stanford’s lifelong mentor, the legendary violinist Joseph Joachim, in mind, the Quintets are the product of a master craftsman speaking with his own distinctive voice. Both were first performed in 1904 and separately owe a direct and glancing debt to Brahms. The First echoes the three-movement structure of Brahms’ First Quintet and its melodious warmth although its second movement strikingly makes use of an archaic form of Irish traditional singing – sean nós (literally “old style”).

Composed to mark the 60th anniversary of Joachim’s first visit to Britain, the Second Quintet shares what Stanford authority Jeremy Dibble in his erudite booklet notes describes as “the same serious demeanour and a similar outlook towards grand architecture” of Brahms’ First Symphony, which Joachim conducted on that occasion.

Originally composed for clarinet and piano, the Three Intermezzi of 1880 display a masterly interplay between cello and piano in Stanford’s own arrangement.

The Dante Quartet’s three-volume survey of Stanford’s String Quartets was universally admired. Of Volume 2 (SOMMCD 0185), Gramophone enthused:

“All three of the works on this disc are premiere recordings, an astonishing state of affairs for what must surely be the most significant quartet cycle by any British composer before Frank Bridge. That alone makes this disc essential listening… They’re each worth hearing, and the Dante Quartet go at them with red-blooded gusto and an energy that’s clearly born from the thrill of discovery… SOMM and the Dantes have broken important new ground with impressive commitment.”

“The musicians in this recording play with real fire and commitment, and are admirable advocates for these superb scores. The performances are beautifully recorded in an ambience that confers warmth and intimacy. Who better than Jeremy Dibble, renowned authority and biographer of Stanford, to provide the accompanying booklet notes. None of the works on this disc had I heard before, but I’m immensely grateful to have made a first encounter.” (Stephen Greenbank, MusicWeb International)

Tracklist

1. Krysia Osostowicz – I. Allegro
2. Krysia Osostowicz – II. Andante
3. Krysia Osostowicz – III. Allegretto – Allegro
4. Richard Jenkinson – No. 1, Andante espressivo
5. Richard Jenkinson – No. 2, Allegro agitato – Tranquillo
6. Richard Jenkinson – No. 3, Allegretto scherzando
7. Krysia Osostowicz – I. Allegro molto moderato ma energico
8. Krysia Osostowicz – II. Andante
9. Krysia Osostowicz – III. Allegro molto
10. Krysia Osostowicz – IV. Finale. Adagio – Allegro giusto

Download:

mqs.link_BenjaminFrithMembers0ftheDanteandEndelli0nQuartetsStanf0rdChamberW0rks202024882.part1.rar
mqs.link_BenjaminFrithMembers0ftheDanteandEndelli0nQuartetsStanf0rdChamberW0rks202024882.part2.rar