Villiers Quartet Perform Frederick Delius and Ethel Smyth

This is a very satisfying release. The Villiers Quartet performs string quartets by two British composers. Two British composers who only wrote one quartet. And both works have rather unusual origins. 

Ethel Smyth started her String Quartet in E minor in 1902. She completed the first two movements and then put the work aside. She returned to it a decade later and finished the composition. 

Despite the ten-year gap, the work has a consistent style running through it. The final movement doesn't sound tacked on or out of place. 

Frederick Delius's String Quartet in C minor also has an interrupted history. He began work on it in 1888 while still a student, but only completed a movement or two. He revisited the genre in 1916. Delius recycled some of his earlier material and create a four-movement work. 

After the premiere -- and sole performance -- part of the score was lost. Two of the movements had vanished, only to reappear in a 2018 auction. This recording is the first of the fully restored quartet. This isn't the English pastorale Delius. Rather, this is Brahsmian pure music. 

The Villiers Quartet has a smooth ensemble sound. And they have just the right amount of expressiveness in their playing. The soloists are nicely balanced in this recording. 

Great stuff!

Frederick Delius, Ethel Smyth: String Quartets
Villiers Quartet
Naxos