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Maxwell Davies: Naxos Quartets (The Naxos Quartets)

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Maxwell Davies: Naxos Quartets (The Naxos Quartets)

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Peter Maxwell Davies - The Naxos Quartets (Nov 9, 2009)
Reviewer:Stuart Sillitoe
This set represents the first time that a record company had commissioned works by a composer, and Naxos should be applauded for it!
Maxwell Davies may not be every ones cup of tea, but given the opportunity to compose these works, he relished in it, and produced what must be one of the most important bodies of work for the string quartet in the last fifty years. True, some are more... This set represents the first time that a record company had commissioned works by a composer, and Naxos should be applauded for it!
Maxwell Davies may not be every ones cup of tea, but given the opportunity to compose these works, he relished in it, and produced what must be one of the most important bodies of work for the string quartet in the last fifty years. True, some are more accessible that other, on original release I found vol. 1 contained a pair of fascinating quartets, strong and melodic, yet strident in their attack. However, vol. 2 left me cold, I didn’t enjoy the disc at all, even after repeated listening, it still made little impact on me. This even led me to put off the purchase of the remaining three volumes, so I was happy to be offered the opportunity to review this set.
So, with renewed acquaintance, my opinion of the first two discs still remain, in fact, I find Quartets 3 & 4 the weakest of the set, although put in the context of the completed set, I find them more accessible than before. Of the remaining quartets No. 5, which is subtitled “Lighthouses of Orkney and Shetland” has emerged as my new favourite. At just over 20 m is it as a dramatically intense quartet, with its depictions of sea battered rocks being a real tour de force for the quartet. Both remaining discs have a lot to offer. Vol. 4 offers us two quartets dedicated to two octogenarians, No. 7 “Metafore sul Borromini” is, I think dedicated to a friend of the composer, and the wonderfully evocative music depicts differing aspects of the baroque architect Fracesco Borromini’s work. In contrast to the sometimes dark and brooding music of the 7th, No. 8, which is dedicated to the Queen on her eightieth birthday, is nineteen minutes of sheer bliss, light and airy, it is based upon Queen Elizabeth’s Galliard by John Dowland, a fitting tribute to the Queen from her Master of Musik. The final work of the set is based on a series of Scottish baroque dances, for me it brought back memories of Maxwell Davies’ earlier works, especially his Fantasia and Two Pavans: after Henry Purcell and his Seven In Nomine, the music is clearly inspired by the past, but yet clearly modern in context.
The performance of the Maggini Quartet, the quartet for whom Naxos commissioned this works, will I imagine, remain the benchmark recording. This is not just because they are the first to record these works, but also because of their standard of playing, which is exceptional throughout, even when Lorraine McAslan replaces their normal first violin, Laurence Jackson, there is no sense of loss of ensemble. Note by the composer himself add to the understanding and enjoyment of the music.
Even with my reservations about volume 2, this set remains one of the finest recordings of the modern string quartet repertoire that I have heard in a long time!
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