Review Details
The Edinburgh Quartet
Alan Cooper
19 February 2009
Cowdray Hall
MUSIC IN THE UNIVERSITY
THE EDINBURGH QUARTET
THE COWDRAY HALL
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Yes, Thursday’s concert in the Cowdray Hall saw yet another electrifying performance from the Edinburgh Quartet who seem to get better and better each time I hear them. Their latest programme featured three very different quartets, each one reckoned to rank among the finest in the repertoire. It was not just the refinement and polish of the playing that blew me away, there was at its very core a powerhouse of energy and a wellspring of confidence that made for truly compelling listening.
Before the concert Dr Roger Williams gave a splendidly enlightening introductory talk that centred on the first work in the programme, the Quartet in G Op.64 no.4 by Haydn. With musical illustrations played by the members of the Quartet, he demonstrated how Haydn uses a tiny core of musical DNA to create an amazingly wide-ranging and imaginative yet superbly well integrated composition. Dr Williams also explained some of the traps the composer sets to surprise and delight his audience. The Edinburgh Quartet gave us a performance that was splendidly clean and bright. The sunlight and shade changes of mood in the opening movement were beautifully executed and the Adagio glowed with warmth. The busy finale fairly buzzed with excitement.
Dr Williams described Bartok’s Quartet No.3 as an uncompromisingly modern and gritty work. It was certainly that, but while the Edinburgh Quartet attacked it with searing intensity and crackling energy, they made the whole work delightfully palatable by imbuing it with an almost luscious overall string sound. Bartok’s extended palette of advanced effects was made enticing as well as surprising and I loved this performance.
To complete their programme, the Edinburgh Quartet gave us a lavish interpretation of Mendelssohn’s Quartet in e minor Op.44 no.2. Tristan Gurney’s rich glossy playing set the tone for the opening movement with its beautiful contrapuntal textures. The Scherzo was the sort of fairy dust sprinkled music that could only be Mendelssohn and after their beautiful lyrical playing in the Andante, the Quartet launched into the finale and its torrents of notes with the same energy and freshness they showed at the start of the concert. Wow! What are these guys on and where can I get some?