# Arnold - String Quartet 1 op.23



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Like the 2nd quartet there are very few recordings of this relatively short piece. I'll be honest and state that it's not a quartet I enjoy greatly, much preferring Arnold's 2nd and more interesting effort but it is an interesting work . It was premièred in 1950 by the New London String Quartet on the BBC Third Programme and is a product of Arnold's Bartókian period, reflecting the darkness of the Cold War era. The opening movement marked Allegro commodo is agitated and has a sense of pointless searching. The Vivace is much more frenzied with its violent thrusts and in the 3rd movement Andante there's a general feeling of solitude. The finale, Allegro con spirito, is more lively and happy before it fades away into the distance in almost pessimistic fashion. 

As in the 2nd quartet there's only 3 recordings. The *Cerruti* quartet is the weaker of the 3 but they are tighter and more at home in this performance than they were in the 2nd but the two below are more recommendable. There's really very little to choose between the Maggini and McCapra quartets again, so much so that either are totally recommendable. The *Maggini Quartet *are the slightly more cohesive unit but in this work the *Mccapra Quartet* approach works just as well and both are recorded in very good sound. I suspect that only price and availability dictates which account you get.


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