The Cavaleri Quartet

The opening concert of the superb Strings Attached season was a diverse affair, and first piece Ralph Vaughan Williams’ quartet no. 2 truly took off in the second movement. The viola themes were delicately, movingly drawn by Ann Beilby and the playing was immaculate across the board. More musically striking however was the challenging Jonathan Harvey quartet no. 3, with the staccato swirls and manipulation of the instruments both technically impressive and an engrossing live spectacle. The Frank Bridge quartet no. 3 was a little more meandering (although the tragic melodies were tenderly rendered), but the encore featuring a snippet of Beethoven was a suitably stirring finale.

The Old Market, 12 September 2014

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