The facsimile score to Colin Matthews' String Quartet No.2.

Colin Matthews’ Second String Quartet was first premiered in 1986 and then substantially revised in 1989; it received its first performance from the Endellion Quartet in 1990 and is dedicated to composer Nicholas Maw. The 15-minute work is divided into six brief movements. The opening Presto is highly virtuosic, its rapid passagework beginning with the viola and spreading across the quartet. A hushed prestissimo Intermezzo follows immediately, before a muscular syncopated Scherzo and Trio. An impassioned Interlude segues directly into a reflective Chorale. The finale recalls some of the earlier music, before an energetic concluding fugue in almost constant motion.