Search - Edmund Rubbra, Brian Mullan, John Rayson :: String Quartets

Another View of a Symphonic Master

Sturgis | Albuquerque, NM | 05/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rubbra is best known for his eleven wonderful symphonies, but his work is grounded in Elizabethan counterpoint and the great English madrigalists.This excellent set gives one a chance to hear his compositional style stripped own to its essentials. It also shows that Rubbra's chamber output belongs in the great seventeenth century tradition of Locke, Lawes, and Jenkins: work which while melodic demands considerable intellectual involvement from the listener. Highly recommended for those who care for 20th century English music--particularly its lamentably neglected chamber tradition."

Pleasing and Balanced

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 08/07/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This lovely recording of English chamber music, which includes two CDs for the price of one, is quite a bargain for those who have found the quartets of, say, Vaughan Williams and Delius to be enjoyable and who would like to try some more music in the same genre. The four quartets by Rubbra strike a pleasing balance between pastoral and progressive, and are always pleasing to the ear and spirit."