Edinburgh Quartet

Kenneth Leighton (1929-88) never quite attained the celebrity of some of his contemporaries, but in sheer craft and emotional intensity he was one of the finest British composers of the Fifties to Eighties, as this anthology of music for piano and strings eloquently shows. For me the real discovery was the big four-movement Piano Quartet from 1959 - there are too few British scores in that genre for this ardently inventive piece, with its powerful passacaglia finale, to be so neglected. The Piano Trio (1965) and the single-movement piano quartet Contrasts and Variants (1972) show him moving steadily into ever-tauter designs and more chromatic harmony. He was associated with Edinburgh University for over 30 years, and the Edinburgh Quartet, in turn, has long been associated with Leighton's music. It and pianist Robert Markham turn in cleanly articulated performances conveying affection and utter conviction. The unanimity of their ensemble, even at the densest polyphonic moments in flying scherzo tempo, is very impressive. Unfortunately, Meridian's recording is rather dry and shallow, making the works seem to have less body than would be apparent in a warmer acoustic.

There's a good rival account of the Piano Trio from Lorraine McAslan, Andrew Fuller amd Michael Dussek on Dutton Epoch (in superior sound, reviewed September 2002), but no current alternatives in the other works. On balance, the disc deserves recommendation for enshrining fine performances of music of sterling worth.