Parry complete string quartets

[Martin Eastick]

I have just come across this http://www.mikepurtonrecording.com/mpr-british-chamber-music-series/! Although indicated as a March release, this prompted me to phone the company, and I have been advised that this should be available with effect from next week!

[eschiss1]

I think I saw that on MDT, too.

[Santo Neuenwelt]

Were they published in Parry's lifetime? And if so, does anyone know where we can obtain copies of the parts. (Not the BL please, too expensive)

[eschiss1]

no.3 has been published, in 1995. The string quintet in 1992. The other 2 are in ms I believe. (I see nothing in COPAC to indicate where though. Hopefully the notes to the CD will say.)

[eschiss1]

This PDF is a list of the RCM's holdings of Parry mss btw...

[eschiss1]

quartet no.3 was btw found among Finzi's papers in 1992 acc Wikipedia.

Edit: the score of the quintet may have been published by Novello as early as 1909 - Bodleian Oxford's entry claims so.

[Hector]

I love Parry's orchestral and choral music but have been consistently disappointed by his chamber music. I have listened to the recordings of his Piano Trios and the Piano Quartet on Meridan and the String Quintet and Quartet on EM Records and found them all deeply uninspiring. I am wondering, is it me or the performers or the music? All of the recordings were premiers and sounded to me like people performing unfamiliar works - stiff phrasing and rhythms, so I suspect it might be the performances. It does put me off buying this latest release of his Quartets.   

[Mark Thomas]

My copy arrived five minutes ago. I'll let you know in a few days, if no one beats me to it.

[Alan Howe]

And my copy's now on order!

[Mark Thomas]

This set is a mixed bag both musically and interpretatively, illustrating the pitfalls of a "completist" approach to CD compilation. I thought the two early quartets of 1867 and 1868 thin fare, largely devoid of character or interest - the sort of anonymous music churned out by a middling Kapellmeister of the first half of the 19th century. The second one (in C major) is the stronger work in its Mendelssohnian way, but the material is humdrum and there's little of harmonic or rhythmic interest to engage the listener - perhaps predictably its Scherzo is the most attractive movement. I suspect that both works suffer from the moderate tempi adopted by the Archaeus Quartet, whose caution reduces the G minor's slow movement to a funereal dirge and fails to breath life into the other movements of these quartets, which might well have benefited from a lighter and more confident approach. The isolated Scherzo movement, left unfinished by Parry and of uncertain date, is not a strong piece either, although it is taken at an appropriately sprightly pace. I'm not sure that Jeremy Dibble's work in preparing a performing edition was worth the effort. Thus far I found myself agreeing with Hector's misgiving expressed in an earlier post.

What a relief then to hear the G major Quartet of 1878, where a very much more able composer is heard. This is a confident, interesting and attractive work which the players can get their teeth into, and they respond with gusto. I detect the influence of Brahms, but others may disagree. The earnest and dramatic opening Allegro is followed by a slightly rustic and very attractive Andante, which leads on to an imaginative and most enjoyable Scherzo. Unusually, the finale is perhaps the best movement of the work, featuring one of those broad melodies so typical of Parry. Throughout, the Archaeus Quartet are unrecognisable as the players of the other quartets in this set, clearly responding to the quality of the material they now have on their stands. It's a fine, convincing performance of a pretty good piece. You may find more in the other works than I did, but for me the String Quartet No.3 is the one to which I'll return.

[Alan Howe]

This is probably what one would expect: the first two quartets were written at the age of 19/20, whereas No.3 comes from a decade later, in the composer's early maturity. As Mark says: the dangers of completism...

[Mark Thomas]

Luckily the 2CD set only costs the same as one full-price CD, so the cost of getting one's hands on the rather good No.3 isn't too exorbitant. 

[matesic]

I just listened to Parry's No.3 in the Bridge Quartet performance which can be streamed from NML. I found it rather as I'd expected, i.e. perfectly pleasant and not as formulaic as most British chamber music of the period, but ultimately undistinctive. I could say I wish the Archaeus would record some Macfarren whose 6th quartet was written about the same time, but I'm not sure I'd want to buy the CD! It wasn't until 1891 that Stanford stretched the envelope a bit; extraordinary that his 3rd quartet still hasn't had a recording.

[eschiss1]

well- a complete of Stanford's is said to be underway.

[MikePurton]

Interesting to read the comments about my recent recording of Parry's complete music for string quartet, however it's the centenary of his death so it's quite fitting that a complete set should be made. Quartet no. 1 was performed from manuscript scores and parts held in the Bodleian Library, No. 2 has been edited as a performing version by Professor Jeremy Dibble and no 3 is already published by Fentone. Yes the first two quartets are youthful and not of the maturity of no. 3 but we all enjoyed working on them and I think that there is an attractive youthfulness about them, very Mendelssohnian (speaking as someone who is apparently connected with him via my mother's side of the family!). You can hear some samples at my website www.mikepurtonrecording.com and get a glimpse. I have commenced a series of unrecorded British chamber music of which this release is the second - some of you may have come across the many recordings I made for Dutton Epoch and British chamber music is a genre of which I am very fond. Releases to follow in several months include String Quartets by Leonard Salzedo, Violin Sonatas and then the Piano Trio, Quartet and Quintet by Arnold Cooke, who used to live at the other end of my road in Kent. We are also recording works by Cooke for Clarinet and for Oboe. Please let me know of any unrecorded repertoire you feel is worth doing and do remember that buying CDs enables small labels like MPR (we now have worldwide distribution through Select) to afford to be able to continue to make recordings, streaming makes the record label 0.01p per track. Thanks for the feedback and keep listening!