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Phantasy received the Royal College of Music Cobbett Prize for an original chamber composition in 1928; it is a piece reminiscent of Thatgamecompany's Journey (2012), and is submerged in all the emotions displayed therein: a piece that sways from the spirited to the introspective whimsically— not too different from what the next piece's first movement does:
The maestoso beginning of Beethoven’s String Quartet in E flat also thrives on slowly building momentum, accelerating joyously and then stopping to breathe and reflect, only to grow explosive again. It was my favourite of what I did hear today, as I confess I had to leave early because I had left my car queuing in the temporary lights of Eastbank Street, and my wife informed me (erroneously) that the light was about to change; I therefore missed the final part of the Quartet, the allegro.
The second movement, the adagio, has that clever bit where the violins go back and forth, taking turns over the staccato viola and cello, which is the highlight, I think, of a section so lengthy that sometimes audiences tend to close their eyes and relax through each of the six variations presented.
The last movement I heard, the scherzo, is a return to the more mirthful theme developed in the maestoso, and has those very distinctive instances of what I can only describe as eerie echoes that fracture the otherwise cheery and very Beethoven-y bits of the submediant.
The final movement is the allegro, but sadly, I was forced to miss it. To compensate, I shall stay an extra ten minutes next Wednesday, when Chetham's is set to display some of their finest up-and-coming talent, but I suspect I missed, today, the first proper standing ovation the season, as the Elmore Quartet, at least up until 13h50, was well on their way to earning one.