COMPOSERS: Frank Bridge
LABELS: Naxos
ALBUM TITLE: Bridge
WORKS: String Quartet No. 2; String Quartet No. 4
PERFORMER: Martin RoscoeMaggini Quartet
CATALOGUE NO: 8.557283
Things may have improved recently for Frank Bridge, but his wonderful chamber music is still undervalued, as this disc ought to make obvious to anyone with ears to hear. Granted, the early Phantasy does echo Frank and Fauré at times, but it really needn’t fear comparison. The Second Quartet is a fully rounded, wholly individual masterpiece. The melancholic tone may place it more firmly in the English Romantic line, but Bridge’s formal thinking is stronger than that of most of his English contemporaries – and what melodies! In any case there’s a keen intensity to Bridge’s melancholy that suggests something darker at the core than conventional pastoral wistfulness.
After this it’s not surprising to find Bridge edging more towards Berg and Bartók in the Fourth Quartet. All of this is brought out with something close to perfection by the magnificent Maggini Quartet. The emotions come across strongly, though without sacrificing either Bridge’s subtlety or his intellectual strength. Bridge remains an introvert, but it’s still extraordinary how much of his complex musical personality the Maggini persuades him to reveal in these highly recommendable performances. Excellent recordings, too – natural sounding, but taking one just enough inside the ensemble so that nothing is missed. Stephen Johnson