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RUBBRA, E.: String Quartets Nos. 1, 3 and 4 (Maggini Quartet)
The Maggini Quartet’s Naxos recording of Edmund Rubbra’s String Quartet No. 2 (8.572286) was praised as ‘superbly integrated…undeniably a great success’ by Gramophone. His remaining three string quartets, heard here, mark Rubbra as a great, though still undervalued, English composer whose music boasts an inexhaustible sense of freshness, a richly hued emotional palette and an abiding sense of optimism. The Maggini Quartet’s Naxos recordings of English string quartets by composers from Alwyn to Walton have gained numerous awards, critical plaudits and nominations from Gramophone, Diapason and the Grammys.
Tracklist
|  | 1 | I. Allegro moderato | 07:13 |
| | 2 | II. Lento | 08:34 |
| | 3 | III. Vivace (revised 1946 version) | 03:24 |
| | 4 | I. Largo ma molto flessibile - Allegretto | 09:02 |
| | 5 | II. Adagio | 06:09 |
| | 6 | III. Allegro leggiero | 04:11 |
| | 7 | I. Andante moderato, ma liberamente - Allegretto scherzando | 08:07 |
| | 8 | II. Adagio e con molta espressione | 08:12 |
Formed in 1988, the Maggini Quartet is one of the finest British string quartets. Its acclaimed recordings have won prestigious international awards including a Gramophone magazine Chamber Music Award of the Year, a Diapason d’Or of the Year, a Le Monde de Music CHOC award and a Cannes Classical Award. Two recordings were chosen as a Gramophone magazine ‘Disc of the Month’, and many more have been Editor’s Choices in Gramophone magazine and BBC Music Magazine. The Magginis have also twice been nominated for GRAMMY Awards.
The Maggini Quartet’s commitment to new music has led to a variety of important commissions including works by James MacMillan, Robert Simpson, Eleanor Alberga and Roxanna Panufnik. Their unique collaboration with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, working with the composer over six years performing and recording his ten Naxos Quartets, was hailed as ‘a 21st-century landmark’.
The Maggini Quartet appears frequently in prestigious concert series at home and abroad and makes regular media broadcasts. Recent international visits have included Dubai, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Denmark. They make twice-yearly visits to Norway for concerts and coaching activities.
The Magginis are renowned for their interpretations of British repertoire and the Glory of the English String Quartet continues to be an important ongoing initiative, drawing upon the wonderful and distinctive repertoire which the Quartet is committed to bringing to a worldwide audiences through concert performances and recordings.
In addition to their concert activity, the members of the Quartet have an international reputation as chamber music coaches. They hold several UK residencies and have worked at the UK’s senior music institutions.
A pupil of Cyril Scott and Gustav Holst, Rubbra established himself as one of the leading English symphonists of his time. A man of wide interests and sympathies, he taught at Oxford and in London and appeared as a pianist in chamber-music recitals. His compositions are in a variety of genres, without any attempt at writing for the theatre.
Orchestral and Choral Music
Rubbra’s principal achievement must lie in his 11 symphonies and in solo concertos for violin, viola and piano. He wrote a number of choral works, many of them reflecting his own Catholic beliefs.
Chamber Music
Rubbra’s chamber music includes sonatas for violin, for oboe and for cello and two piano trios. His four string quartets demonstrate his contrapuntal gifts as well as the influence of Holst.
