Tiroler Festspiele - Ausklang 1
Erl
Tiroler Festspiele - Phantasies
Henry Purcell
5 Fantasias in 4 Parts
Imogen Holst
Phantasy Quartet
Gustav Holst
Phantasy Quartet on British Folksongs op. 36
Ethel Smyth
String Quartet in E minor
The British patron and passionate chamber musician Walter Willson Cobbett initiated a competition in 1905 for single-movement chamber music works, known as "Phantasies". Inspired by the significant English tradition of "Consort Music", which was served among others by Henry Purcell with numerous "Fancies" or "Fantasias", Cobbett envisioned the revival of this centuries-old genre – a goal he actually achieved!
Alongside Arnold Bax, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Frank Bridge, Imogen Holst also submitted her "Phantasy Quartet" as an entry. Although her father Gustav did not participate in the competition, he was inspired by the "Phantasy" craze for his Opus 36. To Cobbett's great regret, Ethel Smyth declined the invitation to the competition. Her String Quartet in E minor, influenced by Brahms and Beethoven, is a worthwhile discovery in British chamber music.
Guests in Erl: Members of the Munich Philharmonic
