JOSEPH-ERMEND BONNAL (1880-1944): String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2.

Description: Highly praised by the likes of Vierne, Dukas, Ravel, Boulanger, Schmitt and Sauguet, Bonnal is quite forgotten today, yet from the evidence of these two quartets (1919 and 1934) he is someone worth rediscovering. The first quartet has its echoes of Debussy and Ravel, especially in its first movement, but its richness of melody and counterpoint, its wealth of moods and of invention, its vigor and rich palette of color mark it out as an individual creation. Born in Bordeaux, Bonnal had a life-long interest in the southwest of France and, particularly, in Basque folk music and his second quartet's slow second movement alternates Gregorian chant with a Basque shepherd's song while its bright, colorful finale is a musical evocation of the Basque region. Offered in our November 2000 catalogue (11C011). Quatuor Debussy. 2000 release.