Kuss Quartet: Del Campo

The Strad Issue: November 2026

Description: A venerated teacher proves too conservative to excite

Musicians: Kuss Quartet

Works: Del Campo: String Quartets: no.11, no.12

Catalogue number: MARCHVIVO MV017

Highly revered as a violin pedagogue, Spanish composer Conrado del Campo (1878–1953) certainly brought intricate string knowledge to his writing. Harmonically and motivically, his language is close to Richard Strauss and Wagner – an extremely conservative style for works dating from the middle of the 20th century which are also blighted by somewhat meandering invention.

This problem is evident in the first movement of the Eleventh Quartet, where a chirpy opening melody quickly becomes consumed by competing melodic intertwining lines, before the rustic hues of the Scherzo and a lyrical Lentamente slightly change the temperature.

Similar features permeate the 12th Quartet. The Allegretto offers some augmented intervals to add greater colour, before an evocative Andante provides a good contrast to the vigorously performed Rondo. Admittedly, del Campo brings some more imaginative invention to the table, but quickly gets distracted, producing a labyrinth of evolving, rather obvious melodies.

The project to revive del Campo’s works began in 2021, and the Kuss Quartet is the latest group to participate in this evolving series. The accounts come from a concert given at the Fundación Juan March in Madrid and, though there are moments of slightly sour tuning, the performances are enthusiastic and committed, even if they could have benefited from a wider dynamic range.

JOANNE TALBOT