Shield: Complete Chamber Works, Vol. 1 The Dorrit Ensemble

• William Shield (1748 - 1829): String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 3 No. 1:
• 1 Shield: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 3 No. 1: I. Aria con variazione 02:28
• 2 Shield: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 3 No. 1: II. Fuga. Allegro con spirito 03:01
• 3 Shield: String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 3 No. 1: III. Rondo. Allegro 02:54
• String Quartet in F Major, Op. 3 No. 2:
• 4 Shield: String Quartet in F Major, Op. 3 No. 2: I. Allegro moderato 05:51
• 5 Shield: String Quartet in F Major, Op. 3 No. 2: II. Allegretto 02:15
• String Quartet in C Major, Op. 3 No. 3:
• 6 Shield: String Quartet in C Major, Op. 3 No. 3: I. Allegro moderato 08:01
• 7 Shield: String Quartet in C Major, Op. 3 No. 3: II. Tempo di minuetto 05:31
• String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 3 No. 4:
• 8 Shield: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 3 No. 4: I. Allegro 02:19
• 9 Shield: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 3 No. 4: II. Adagio 02:45
• 10 Shield: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 3 No. 4: III. Rondo. Allegro 03:00
• String Quartet in D Major, Op. 3 No. 5:
• 11 Shield: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 3 No. 5: I. Allegro maestoso 06:36
• 12 Shield: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 3 No. 5: II. Adagio 01:35
• 13 Shield: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 3 No. 5: III. Rondo. Allegro 03:08
• String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 3 No. 6:
• 14 Shield: String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 3 No. 6: I. Allegro 04:11
• 15 Shield: String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 3 No. 6: II. Adagio 04:36
• 16 Shield: String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 3 No. 6: III. Allegretto 02:37
• Total Runtime 01:00:48

Info for Shield: Complete Chamber Works, Vol. 1

William Shield rose from relatively humble beginnings to become the ‘house’ composer to Covent Garden, for which he wrote stage works full of panache and tunefulness. He met and befriended Haydn who was to prove a lasting influence. In 1782 Shield published his Six String Quartets, Op. 3, some of the most richly rewarding works of their type in 18th-century England. The transparency of parts, use of imitation, infusion of Sturm und Drang elements as well as the bucolic and folkloric writing, all demonstrate Shield’s art, as does the progressive writing of the last of the six, in C minor.

1782 was a landmark year for William Shield, witnessing his appointment as ‘house’ composer to Covent Garden, the premiere of Rosina, his most enduring operatic success, and the publication of the Op. 3 String Quartets – arguably the finest written by a native English composer during the eighteenth century. This is the first album in a series of recordings of William Shield’s complete chamber music.

The Dorrit Ensemble:
Elizabeth Layton, violin
Elizabeth Sellars, violin
Caroline Henbest, viola
Edith Salzmann, cello

The Dorrit Ensemble
is based at Adelaide University's Elder Conservatorium, one of Australia’s leading tertiary music institutions. Its core members, lecturers Elizabeth Layton and Edith Salzmann, are joined on this recording by Caroline Henbest from the Australian National Academy of Music and Elizabeth Sellars from the Flinders Quartet, Melbourne. Established in 2019, the Dorrit Ensemble has performed regularly across Australia and New Zealand, also throughout Europe and North America.

Booklet for Shield: Complete Chamber Works, Vol. 1