CD Review
Various composers: The Cold Dancer: Contemporary String Quartets from Scotland
- Composer
- Dempster / Clapperton / Weir / Sweeney
- Artist
- Edinburgh Quartet
- Label
- Delphian
- Catalogue
- DCD34038
- Reviewed by
- Anne McAlister
Delphian Records is to be congratulated for producing this powerful recording of contrasting quartets by Scottish composers, such a disc is long overdue. All the works except for the Judith Weir piece are premiere recordings. The most recent quartet is Kenneth Dempster’s The Cold Dancer (2005), inspired by a George Mackay Brown poem. It’s a more substantial piece than its 12-minute length would imply, with forceful, weighty episodes interwoven with lyrical melodies and echoes of psalm tunes and dances, a collage of atmospheres and memories associated with the drowned fisherman.
The Clapperton piece is entirely different, a landscape of muted greys imbued with delicate Scottish-inspired rhythmic motifs, its single movement never rising above mezzo-piano, reminiscent perhaps of Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus. The Weir, like the Clapperton, dates from 1990, and is in three movements, the first gutsy and tension-filled, its harmonic core in the higher registers of the instruments, quite different from the second movement, which swaggers along in a slightly tipsy, out-of-kilter fashion. The Sweeney, written in 2004, is the longest work, boasting substantial solos for viola and cello and a violin duet in the course of its three movements.
The Edinburgh Quartet gives committed, even bold performances, but never at the expense of lyricism. This disc has made a profound impression, take a risk, try it. Delphian has built its reputation as one of the most consistent champions of contemporary Scottish and British chamber music, and this release sits comfortably among the label’s strongest classical outings.
A note on this page
Originally published by Anne McAlister, recovered from mmmusic's own archive and reproduced here as the critic wrote it.
Questions about this recording
What inspired the title work, Dempster's Cold Dancer?
Kenneth Dempster's String Quartet No. 4, "The Cold Dancer" (2005), was inspired by a George Mackay Brown poem, a more substantial piece than its 12-minute length suggests, weaving forceful, weighty episodes with lyrical melodies and echoes of psalm tunes and dances, evoking the drowned fisherman at the poem's centre.
Are all four quartets premiere recordings?
All except the Judith Weir piece are premiere recordings, a real gap the review credits Delphian for filling, given how overdue a disc like this was for Scottish contemporary string-quartet writing.
How do the four works differ in character?
Clapperton's piece is a landscape of muted greys that never rises above mezzo-piano; Weir's, from 1990, moves between a gutsy, tension-filled first movement and a slightly tipsy, out-of-kilter second; Sweeney's 2004 work is the longest, with substantial solos for viola and cello and a violin duet.
Is this recording still available to buy?
Yes, Delphian's catalogue number DCD34038 remains findable through the label and classical retailers. We don't run an in-house shop, so we link out to Amazon and Discogs below.
