Stanford was a well-trained, at times gifted composer who seemed stunted by his desire not to push the “Irish” connection. His best pieces are always those where he allows the folk influence to shine, as in the two Irish Fantasies included here, because at the end of the day he’s not going to win any awards for formal ingenuity or contrapuntal mastery, even though he does display a measure of both. As a romantic composer it’s the tunes that count. That, and a well-developed sense of timing. The First Piano Trio has two charming middle movements, including a curious minuet that also doubles as a sort of slow movement. Alas, when it comes to timing, it suffers from a major lack of contrast. All four parts are either moderate in tempo, or in the case of the opening Allegro grazioso, deficient in rhythmic muscle. Lyricism is very nice, but relentless lyricism is relentlessly dull when the piece lasts more than half an hour.
The Second Piano Quartet is another matter entirely. A late piece (1913), it has all of the vigor and passion that the trio lacks, despite the “moderato” qualification for its outer movements. The fleet scherzo is a treat, but the thematic material generally is more striking and stronger in profile than in the trio. Left in manuscript at the composer’s death in 1924, it has been edited for performance by Stanford scholar Jeremy Dibble, thus restoring a major work to the slim repertoire of important piano quartets. All the performances here are very sympathetic. Pianist Benjamin Frith is considerate of his colleagues but characterful when he needs take over the spotlight. The strings are well balanced and nicely tuned both against the piano and each other. I wish the trio were a stronger work, but this disc is worth hearing for the balance of the program–and that’s still almost 50 solid minutes. [10/20/2011]
