Dutch early Romantic composer Johannes Bernardus van Bree's elegant melodies and carefully dosed counterpoint technique give his string quartets a simple yet charming originality. In the words of a contemporary, his works are characterised "by simplicity and naturalness... by polish, clarity and freshness, a certain popularity, without triviality".
Van Bree was a self-taught violin virtuoso who founded one of the first professional string quartets in the Netherlands. His compositions were probably all premiered by the "Amsterdam Quartet Society". Their surviving concert programmes show a great interest in contemporary repertoire with works by Onslow, Mendelssohn and Spohr, which must have influenced van Bree's own works.
He founded Amsterdam's first professional orchestra at the "Felix Meritis" (a forerunner to the Concertgebouw) and conducted the Dutch premieres of Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique and Wagner's Faust Overture. Even the Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam, which still exists today, can be traced back to van Bree. His importance for Amsterdam's musical life in the first half of the 19th century cannot be overstated.
Although highly esteemed during his lifetime, van Bree's compositions quickly fell into oblivion. He left behind four string quartets, of which the last one is yet to be published. The Utrecht String Quartet are always on the lookout for hidden treasures. This recording is a first step towards van Bree's long overdue rediscovery.
Also available:
Catoire: String Quartet & Piano Quintet - Utrecht String Quartet, Anna Zassimova (MDG60322862)
"The Utrecht Quartet play the piece for all its worth [...]. Overall, what we have here is never less than persuasive advocacy for music that despite its limitations deserves better than to moulder away on library shelves." - Gramophone
Glazunov: Complete String Quartets - Utrecht String Quartet (MDG6032245)
