Edmund Rubbra’s String Quartets span his career from 1933 to 1977. Possibly the Second is the best known, but as a group they make an unmissable pendant to the symphonies. Possibly the most important string quartet cycle by any British composer, the Dutton Epoch recordings by the Dante Quartet enjoyed a very positive critical reception when they first appeared, and have now been re-packaged as a bargain-priced 2-CD box set.
September 2010
*****
“The Dante's rendition of Rubbra's four quartets is superb, but the gem here is Pierre Doumenge and Michael Dussek's account of the Cello Sonata.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
