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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. In Gloucestershire (String Quartet No.3) - Herbert Howells - Howells / Dyson |
| 2. Three Rhapsodies - George Dyson - Howells / Dyson |
Product Description
BBC Music Magazine
There is some fine music here, by two minor masters of the English 20th-century revival. Herbert Howells's In Gloucestershire, begun in 1916 but apparently not completed until the Thirties, goes far deeper than the nature-painting which its title implies, especially when the dance-like finale slows to an unexpected coda, quiet and withdrawn. George Dyson's Three Rhapsodies, although written separately between 1905 and 1920, hang together as a substantial half-hour quartet, centred on an elegiac slow movement of more than conventional expressivity. Both works are played by Divertimenti with great feeling and beauty of tone, in an ideally sympathetic recording.
Performance *****
Sound *****
© BBC Music Magazine 2001
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Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
English pastoral music with a cry of lament at its heart, 25 Jan 2010
By Oliver Owen - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dyson: Three Rhapsodies; Howells: In Gloucestershire (Audio CD)
The string quartet by Howells is remarkable in its evocation of mood. It is written in the "English pastoral" style, but the cry of lament that lies at its heart tells us that this is much more than simply a musical picture-postcard of a cow looking over a gate. The opening bars of the first movement instantly bring to mind the green, lush hills of the English countryside, seen through the vanishing mists of a summer's morning. There is a sense of melancholy rapture similar to that evoked by Vaughan Williams in his third symphony. The second movement evokes the feel of a vigorous walk on the downs on a blustery day. Ivor Gurney heard in it "a great spring wind blowing the hair of the exultant traveller wandering without purpose save to find beauty and be comrade with the wind." The heart of the work, however, is the third movement, a deeply felt elegy in which the composer gives painful expression to feelings of grief over some devastating loss. This is some of the saddest music I have ever heard, beautiful, yet heartwrenching in the sense of loss that it conveys. Once heard, it cannnot be forgotten. The three rhapsodies by Dyson are in a lighter mood. They are very lyrical and enjoyable, but for me, it is the Howells' quartet that is the real masterwork on this disk.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
neglected masterpieces, 20 Feb 2010
By jsa - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dyson: Three Rhapsodies; Howells: In Gloucestershire (Audio CD)
I hesitate to use the tired cliche "neglected masterpiece," but Herbert Howells' third string quartet, "In Gloucestershire," truly fits that description. It's an absolutely gorgeous piece of music: pastoral, spirited, elegiac and at times turbulent, all reflecting the best traditions of England's great composers of the twentieth century.
George Dyson's "Three Rhapsodies," which makes up the other half of this disc, is a three movement suite: allegretto, lento, adagio. It's among the composer's earliest works (1905-1912) and while sharing the same sound world of Vaughan Williams and the like, there's practically no use of folk material. The liner notes aptly describe the music as "non-academic, warming and beautiful and sings as music always should." Indeed, while in my view it's not quite as inspired as the Howells quartet, it's still very attractive music.
I've owned this disc for a number of years and am still amazed that these recordings, made in 1984, appear to be the only ones currently in the catalog. This lack of attention should not discourage prospective buyers as these are first rate performances of outstanding chamber music works. Chamber music enthusiasts and British music lovers will be thrilled with this find.
Urgently recommended!
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