String Quartets No 1 2 & 3 / Three Divertimenti
The chamber music on this CD spans almost Britten's entire career, from 1936 to 1975. The Three Divertimenti were not well received at their premiere in '36 and Britten was "downcast." While hardly masterpieces, the stormy first movement's march, the second's calming waltz and the final, unsettled burlesque still hold the interest, especially when as well played as the Belceas play them. The first quartet's (1941) first movement alternates andante with allegro passages, while the second is a bristly march, the third calms the listener down and the final movement is upbeat. The second quartet, written right after the very successful premiere ofPeter Grimes, is far more complex. It is in three movements.  The first is an off-putting combination of depression and mania; the second, while outwardly perky (it's marked "vivace"), is creepy. But it's the last movement that is so masterful--a theme and 21 variations on a Purcell-like chaconne, which lasts 18 minutes and gives cadenzas to cello, first violin and viola. The Third Quartet, composed after "Death in Venice," uses one of its themes and is in five movements. It is a dark, forceful work with little joy--when it isn't nervous it's disheartening--but it is a fascinating and affecting piece you won't forget. The Belceas play as a team as brilliantly as they do during their individual moments. Highly recommended.--Robert Levine