Haydn: String Quartet in E flat, Op. 64 No. 6; Schumann: String Quartet in A minor, Op. 41 No. 1 – Elias String Quartet
The Elias String Quartet appears on Wigmore Hall Live with this much anticipated disc of music by Haydn and Schumann, recorded live in concert in September 2010.
Formed at the Royal Northern College of Music in 1998, the ensemble quickly became established among the leading quartets performing internationally, and is now supported by the prestigious Wigmore Hall Emerging Talent scheme. Widely praised for the vibrancy and intensity of its performances, the quartet has received particular critical acclaim for its recent recordings; in April 2010 its disc of works by Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Schubert on Wigmore Hall Live received the BBC Music Magazine ‘Newcomer Award’.
Repertoire **** Sound ***** Interpretation *****
Anja Renczikowski - Ensemble magazine - August/September 2012
Performance **** Recording **** "...the qualities for which the Elias String Quartet were widely praised on their Wigmore Hall Live debut disc of Schubert, Mozrt and Mendelssohn are immediately evident from the opening bars of the Hayden Quartet: a keen feeling for musical character, immaculate ensemble, lively articulation and just the right degree of vibrato to ensure both warmth and clarity of sound..."
Bayab Northcott - BBC Music magazine - August 2012
"The Elias Quartet ... have won golden opinions, and listening to this live 2010 recordig from the Wigmore Hall, you can see why. They make a beautiful sound, burnished yet translucent and play with vigour and subtlety... The Schumann is a delight. As an encore, they add a haunting, Gaelic-inspired Lament by the quartet’s second violin, Donald Grant."
David Cairns - The Sunday Times - 3 June 2012
