Frank Bridge - Divertimenti for Wind Quartet (1938)

Frank Bridge (26 February 1879 – 10 January 1941) was an English composer, violist and conductor.

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Divertimenti for Wind Quartet, H.189 (1934-38)
Dedication: Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge

1. Prelude (0:00)
2. Nocturne (4:38)
3. Scherzetto (9:51)
4. Bagatelle (13:33)

London Myriad
Julie Groves – Flute
Fiona Myall – Oboe
Nadia Wilson – Clarinet
Ashley Myall – Bassoon

The Divertimenti for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon took Bridge a long time to compose. In between this and the completion of his 4th String Quartet he suffered a heart attack. The divertimenti was followed by two more completed works and an unfinished movement for a symphony that was never completed. The divertimenti started as a birthday present for his benefactor Elizabeth Sprague Cooldige, but Bridge only managed to complete two movements. Three years later he actually started all over again and in 1938 it was finally finished. Bridge sent it to her for a performance in May 1938, but she did not see any point in a work for wind quartet. She wanted a string quartet and got the fourth string quartet. Bridge had to ensure that the Divertimenti were carried out on his own. In July 1939, a recording took place for a BBC radio broadcast. Sprague Coolidge suddenly saw something in it and had the first public US performance take place on April 14, 1940. Bridge could not be there because of the Second World War.