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"These chamber works are just as intelligent as the works of (Shostakovich and Bartok) and we owe Naxos thanks for bringing them out into the sunlight. The Maggini Quartet clearly has an affinity for this music and the recording ambience, so important to chamber music, is quite focused, allowing for both spaciousness and warmth." - MusicWeb International "Both works dig deep into emotional states as well as being formally attractive. There's real heart here and genuine craftsmanship, searching and voluble ... wonderfully well played by the Maggini Quartet ... this is an outstanding release that is further blessed by sound that is tangible and truthful. Please don't miss what I believe to be really significant pieces." - Fanfare The Maggini Quartet, one of the finest British string quartets renowned for their championship of British repertoire, presents this album of works by Alan Rawsthorne. His three published string quartets mark the progression of style and language at salient points during his compositional career: String Quartet No. 1 is an early example of Rawsthorne’s partiality for variation form while String Quartet No. 2 is more succinct and precise in expression and form. The multilayered String Quartet No. 3, an austere work of unremitting intensity, is characteristic of the final period of Rawsthorne’s creative output.