# Vaughan Williams - Phantasy Quintet (review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Vaughan Williams penned his Phantasy Quintet in 1912 and dedicated it to William Wilson Cobbett, the creator of a new competition. The aim of this 'Cobbett Competition' was to encourage a younger generation of British composers to write chamber music. Cobbett envisaged the concept of modeling a work on the Elizabethan form of Phantasy or Fancy as an impetus. The London String Quartet, led by Albert Sammons with James Lockyer as the extra violist, gave the premiere of the Phantasy Quintet on 23 March 1914. Its a short piece so a standard performance of the quintet lasts only around 15 minutes. 






The 1st movement, Prelude (Lento Ma non troppo), begins with a lovely viola solo (unmistakedly Vaughan Williams) until it is answered by the first violin and accompanied by the other instruments to bring a rich textures. In fact, VW intended the piece to be played attaca using one principal theme supplied by the viola at the beginning and permeating every movement. The 2nd movement, Scherzo, with its unusual, choppy rhythms and ostinato accompaniment has a style 'reminiscent of English madrigals'. The 3rd movement, Alla Sarabanda (Lento) is purposely played with muted strings, sans cello. The finale, Burlesca, is based on an English folk song and has echoes of the first movement. Its 'phantasy’ form consists of several sections begun by a quirky cello and then adopted by the other instruments. A gay dance ensues which is interrupted by the return of the first movement melody before resuming and then ending as quietly as it the piece began.
If you aren't familiar with this idiomatic and unique quintet then I strongly urge you to try it especially if you enjoyed Vaughan Williams' string quartets, but even those who just enjoy quirky chamber music will love this charming quintet, which I fell in love with a number of years ago. There are a handful of mostly fine recordings and I'll address all of them below. 

Probably the weakest performance here is that by the English String Quartet /Blume. Its not a 'bad' effort, tbh, just rather plain and I personally wouldn't really recommend it even as a starting point as there are much better ones, below.
For those looking for something a little more capable then there are two recordings that provide greater quality. 
*Music Group London / Bean* - although the oldest recording here this was my first experience of this piece and this early 70s recording was always played very well (Hugh Bean always had a lovely tone), even if it's starting to show its age a little. Still a decent place to start. 
*Medici / Rowland-Jones* - even better than the Londoners, the Medici and Simon Rowland-Jones play with fine clarity and exceptional quality . This is an eloquent recording and but for the quality of the 2 below would be an easy first choice. 
However, I'll always have a recording (or recordings) that I view as 'Top Pick(s)' and in this case the 2 below are equally superb examples of this. 
*Maggini / Jackson* - Naxos regulars, the Maggini Quartet, with Garfield Jackson of the Endellion Quartet on the exra viola, give a performance of mysterious beauty, tenderness and strength that is an absolute steal at Naxos' bargain price (you can pick this disc up secondhand for a paltry sum, too). Excellent ensemble playing and phrasing throughout.
*Nash Ensemble *- whether you prefer the Maggini or this equally superb recording from the Nash Ensemble is a matter of personal taste but I have both and cherish them. The Nash play with consummate ease, dexterity and their flowing lines are executed expertly and if forced to take one with me to that mythical desert island this would be my marginal first choice just because its done so elegantly, meticulously and seamlessly. Hyperion's engineering is, as usual, brilliant. 
Tbh, I'd buy both (I did). The remainder of the recordings on these 2 discs are well worth having too and will give you hours of wonderful listening.


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