# Bridge - String Quartet 2 H.115 (SQ review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Frank Bridge studied violin at the Royal College and composition with Stanford (he also excelled on viola). While still a college student, he premiered the Debussy quartet, as a last minute viola substitute in the Joachim Quartet and also performed piano quartets with Fauré. As a student, he composed miniatures, for amateur violinists in particular, to earn a few quid. He later became a renowned conductor, substituting for Henry Wood at the Proms, and touring the USA conducting his own music. 
His second quartet, completed in 1915, won the annual Cobbett Prize. The G minor quartet begins to move away from Bridge's earlier Edwardian tonal style and towards his post- First World War style, influenced by the Second Viennese School. The harmonies, though more adventurous, are still clearly rooted in romantic tonality and the mood is still some way from the darker intensity of his later work. The opening is dense, with complex rhythms in competition before the viola is given the nostalgic second theme (there's lots of good writing for the viola here). The 2nd movement opens with a scherzo but then winds down into a slow middle section. In the 3rd there's a modified version of the viola theme, first on the cello and then on the violin. The last movement has a slow introduction, restating the viola theme, then it returns in a different quicker form later. Only 4 recordings of this one but, unfortunately, I didn't get to hear the Delme Quartet as this is a quartet I expect they'll deeply relish so I'll revisit that at a later date if possible. 

Firstly I'll deal with the weakest performance here and that's from the Brandisi quartet, who smother all of Bridge's ideas with a hugely unnecessary layer of vibrato that this piece really does not need, treating it as some form of hyper-romantic masterpiece. Pretty horrid, tbh. 
Thankfully, the remaining recordings are both much better quality. The *Bridge String Quartet* play with plenty of conviction and the recording is very good however they're not always as secure in intonation or articulation as the Maggini Quartet but they are still recommendable. The *Maggini Quartet *play with the right blend of power and wistfulness and are much more at home in Bridge's soundworld. The Naxos engineering is ideally realistic and all movements are despatched with great skill making this a current top choice.


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