Chamber Music by Jacques Ibert

Jacques Ibert (1890-1962) is one of those fringe composers whose name you often hear, but whose music is rather more difficult to pin down. If you choose to explore his orchestral works, the rewards are many – the exuberant Divertissement, the colourful Escales (Ports Of Call), the Flute Concerto and the Bacchanale are more than enough for starters. The chamber music, however, has had a very raw deal on record, so it is to Somm's credit that they have enlisted some fine musicians to give us a disc of Ibert writing for smaller scale forces.

Unfortunately they begin with a tough nut to crack. Like many of his compatriots, Ibert wrote just the one String Quartet – and this one came at a particularly difficult period in his life, when he had to relocate his family to Switzerland at the height of World War Two. The music betrays a lot of the strife and uncertainty that so many works of the time do, but it does so in a way that can leave the listener similarly uptight. There is very little let up, the four instruments playing almost all the time, and the melodies they exchange do not last long in the memory. The overriding impression is that this is a work Ibert had to write, to purge his feelings, but in my mind it doesn't communicate well to the recording studio or concert hall. The Bridge Quartet are not in any way responsible for this predicament, for they give an excellent account of it, impassioned in the cello second theme of the first movement, and impressive in their ensemble when the writing gets choppy.

Elsewhere the story is a much happier one. The Trio for violin, viola and harp, written the same year as the String Quartet was premiered, displays more of Ibert's exuberance, as well as his ability to score lightly for instruments. It is a substantial three movement piece, but with none of the hang-ups of the Quartet, and Ibert's fun side comes through a lot more naturally.

It is also interesting to hear shorter pieces such as Ghirlarzana for cello, and Caprilena for violin. Listening to Caprilena, it is perhaps a surprise that Ibert did not write a Violin Concerto, as he wrote very naturally for the instrument. This comes through also in the charming Jeux Sonatine for violin and piano, which transcribes effortlessly from the flute version, singing sweetly in a way that reminds of the Franck Violin Sonata. The Entr'acte for violin and harp, meanwhile, has a strong Eastern flavour and some clean, Ravelian lines that are immediately appealing. Finishing the disc is a Souvenir for string quartet and double bass, a charming piece that is also lightly elegiac.

A mixed bag, then. Newcomers to Ibert are directed firmly in the direction of the orchestral works, but if you're willing to give the String Quartet a go you're unlikely to find a better performance than this one – and the reward for hearing it is to then explore the lighter side of one of French music's more underrated composers of the 20th century.