Composed early in 1928, The Poisoned Fountain was the first of several works Bax composed for Ethel Bartlett and Rae Robertson, a married couple who formed a piano duo that same year. The piece was dedicated to them, and they gave its first performance at London's Aeolian Hall on June 19, 1928. The Poisoned Fountain is a forceful and colorful composition, despite its generally slow tempo and quiet dynamic. A repeating figure from one pianist, a sound that calls to mind the rippling of water, gently opens the piece. The second pianist joins in with a rather ominous theme, its rich chords resounding in a manner reminiscent of Claude Debussy's Sunken Cathedral Relaxing but for a moment, the music gains in strength and builds to a menacing climax. But the mood calms again, and the rippling figures return as the opening music is recalled, but only briefly before the piece ends quietly and abruptly.

© All Music Guide