EDWARD GREGSON (b.1945): String Quartets Nos. 1and 2, Le Hardin à Givernt for cor anglais and String Quartet, Triptych for Solo Violin, Benedictus for Alto Saxophone and String Quartet.

Description: Gregson is renowned for his concertos and music for band, but his chamber music reveals a more enquiring voice. In recent years these works have been enriched with greater expressive and emotional depth, ranging here from youthful impressionism to the fearsome virtuosity of Triptych, a competition test piece. Gregson’s First String Quartet was acclaimed by one critic as ‘an extraordinary work, both gritty and serene’, while the evocative colors of the Second are framed by the gentle lilt of a Siciliana. Alison Teale (Cor anglais), Rob Buckland (sax), Navarra String Quartet.