Ferguson, Bliss & Holloway: Chamber Music Wigmore Soloists

• Howard Ferguson (1908 - 1999): Octet, Op. 4:
• 1 Ferguson: Octet, Op. 4: I. Moderato 05:28
• 2 Ferguson: Octet, Op. 4: II. Allegro scherzoso 03:38
• 3 Ferguson: Octet, Op. 4: III. Andantino 05:22
• 4 Ferguson: Octet, Op. 4: IV. Allegro feroce 05:37
• Arthur Bliss (1891 - 1975): Clarinet Quintet, F. 20:
• 5 Bliss: Clarinet Quintet, F. 20: I. Moderato 05:51
• 6 Bliss: Clarinet Quintet, F. 20: II. Allegro molto 07:41
• 7 Bliss: Clarinet Quintet, F. 20: III. Adagietto espressivo 08:24
• 8 Bliss: Clarinet Quintet, F. 20: IV. Allegro energico 06:15
• Robin Holloway (b 1943): Serenade in C Major, Op. 41:
• 9 Holloway: Serenade in C Major, Op. 41: I. Marcia 06:46
• 10 Holloway: Serenade in C Major, Op. 41: II. Menuetto alla tarantella 03:22
• 11 Holloway: Serenade in C Major, Op. 41: III. Andante 05:51
• 12 Holloway: Serenade in C Major, Op. 41: IV. Menuetto - Trio 05:28
• 13 Holloway: Serenade in C Major, Op. 41: V. Finale 04:00
• Total Runtime 01:13:43

Info for Ferguson, Bliss & Holloway: Chamber Music

Following their critically acclaimed Albums of Schubert (BIS-2597), Mozart and Birchall (BIS-2647), works for clarinet trio (BIS-2535) and, more recently, Beethoven and Berwald (BIS-2707), the Wigmore Soloists now turn their attention to twentieth-century English chamber works which, while eschewing some of the continent’s modernist tendencies, are both deeply personal and supremely written, highlighting the specific colours of each of the instruments. Howard Ferguson’s Octet, a direct and engaging work, was the first of his works to attract attention. Ferguson’s skill is brilliantly demonstrated in this tonally ambiguous work, which takes its instrumentation from Schubert’s famous Octet. The main characteristic of Sir Arthur Bliss’s Clarinet Quintet, like those of Mozart and Brahms with the same instrumental line-up, is its intense, overtly emotional lyricism, but the sunny, extrovert aspects of Bliss’s character ultimately prevail in the brilliantly energetic finale. Robin Holloway’s Serenade in C for octet is the most recent work on this disc, and also features the instrumentation of Schubert’s Octet, which the composer acknowledges as a model. Few contemporary composers display as keen a sense of humour as Holloway who wished here to give “an affectionate twist to tonal common practice and light-music cliches all the way from Biedermeier Vienna to Southend Pier”.

Wigmore Soloists

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Booklet for Ferguson, Bliss & Holloway: Chamber Music