Simpson: String Quartet nr. 7

From McCabe to Simpson is only a small step. But in the case of their Fifth and Seventh Quartet, respectively, it amounts to a leap from the bees' microcosmos to the mysteries of the universe. I might have chosen to dip into Simpson's Eighth Quartet too, which would have prolonged the stay in the entomological realm as it is dedicated to the biologist J.D. Gillett, the discoverer of a species of mosquito. However, my choice fell on the shorter Quartet nr. 7, of 1977, dedicated to Lady (Susi) Jeans, accomplished organist, in memory of her deceased husband and astronomer, Sir James Jeans.

Robert Simpson's music was one of the more important musical discoveries for me during the past years. I'd known and admired his Ninth Symphony for years without, however, making the step to explore a little wider afield. The acquaintance then with the full symphonic cycle of 11 symphonies (on Hyperion, very capably conducted by Vernon Handley) convinced me that here was a worthy heir to my beloved Carl Nielsen. There is an obvious, readily audible correspondence between their works as Simpson recycles many of Nielsen's harmonic and thematic fingerprints in his music. But Simpson is powerful enough as a creative artist to get beyond mere epigonism. There is a genuine consonance of spirit too. In Simpson we find the same intransigence, the same kind of steely resolve so typical for Nielsen. It seems to me Simpon is the more learned and intellectualistic composer of the two, whilst the Dane strikes me as more choleric.

The Seventh Quartet is a 20-minute work composed in a straightforward, ternary structure: a slow and brooding introduction leads to a lively central section which reconnects to the quartet's mysterious opening. The music associates readily with the frigid vastness of the universe. It is very contrapuntally written and pervaded with a pulsating nervousness. The energetic central section could have been vintage Nielsen. It sounds like the Inextinguishable has been transposed to a vastly smaller ensemble but projected on a cosmic scale. There is nothing anecdotal about this music. It hasn't been written to charm and lacks the wit and grace of McCabe's apiary fantasy. But there is an inescapable fascination that goes with this granitic, austere but very pure musical language.

The complete series of Simpson quartets is spread over 9 Hyperion CDs. Unfortunately there are no plans to re-issue the full set in cheaper boxed set (confirmed to me by Simon Perry, Hyperion's director). However, one advantage with the edition in separate CDs is the beautiful artwork, most of it dedicated to mysterious images from the cosmos. This particular CD sports an "x-ray photograph of the Seyfert radio galaxy, showing the 100 million degrees K 'quasar core' at the centre of which is thought to be a massive black hole."

I am less taken by the quality of the recording (produced by Simpson himself, in 1983). Compared to the McCabe it sounds rather distant and disembodied. A great pity, I find. Anyway, it won't keep me from collecting the whole cycle.