Album insights
As a young artist, Britten composed at least six string quartets, some under Frank Bridge's guidance. His first significant work for this ensemble, publicly performed, was a cycle of Three Divertimenti. These derived from a longer suite titled "Go play, boy, play," inspired by a quote from Shakespeare's The Winter’s Tale, initiated in 1933. Britten's premiere at the London Wigmore Hall three years later with the Stratton Quartet was disheartening. Critic Jack Westrup's scathing review in the Daily Telegraph criticized the pieces as "depressing" and urged Britten to create music less reliant on superficial effects. Undeterred, Britten repurposed material from this early work into his song cycle Les illuminations, completed in the U.S. in 1939.
In 1941, while still in America, Britten received a commission from American patron Mrs. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge for a string quartet, for which he was to receive $400. This marked the occasion for Britten to compose his "official" String Quartet No. 1. The modest ambience of a garden tool shed at Ethel Bartlett and Rae Robertson's residence in California birthed this quartet, which premiered in September 1941 in Los Angeles. Impressions on this commissioned work were mixed, with Britten acknowledging its creation as a mix of financial necessity and artistic endeavor.
Following the success of his opera Peter Grimes, Britten's Second String Quartet emerged in October 1945. This period marked his renewed focus on English language compositions after prior years of foreign texts in vocal works. The Quatuor Zorian presented this quartet in its entirety on the exact day of Henry Purcell’s 250th death anniversary in 1945. Britten’s admiration for Purcell continued, evidenced by subsequent pieces and variations inspired by the older composer. The youthful Quartet No. 2 showcased influences from Beethoven and neoclassical echoes resembling Stravinsky's style.
Britten's Third String Quartet, composed with assistance due to health issues in 1975, marked a return to chamber music. This composition's complexity revealed a departure from traditional sonata forms, leaning more towards a suite-like structure. The work, completed in Venedig, engaged a young composer as Britten's aide, reflecting the composer's meticulous process amid declining health. Despite health setbacks, Britten managed to see this work to completion before passing, leaving a poignant legacy in the chamber music realm.