Purcell Room Concert reviews (9/1/06). BBC Music Magazine - June 2008 "The Carducci Quartet showed a sparkling control of tempo and timbre in another modern classic, Dutilleux's Ainsi la nuit, as part of its Park Lane Group recital. These musicians brought concentrated stillness at a similarly attenuated dynamic level to the Arditti, but with quite different results. The Arditti is renowned for a forthright, Boulez-like reading of Ainsi; the Carducci contained itself within a scale that was entirely appropriate for the small, dry acoustic of the Purcell Room. Recent successes for the ensemble include the Bordeaux competition, and it was a smart move to give the London premiere of the competition commission, Six moments musicaux by Kurtag. These Webernian aphorisms were securely under the players fingers - the fifth's whistling study in harmonics, and Emma Denton's distant, interrupted cello recitative in the fourth were nicely judged." Peter Quantrill - The Strad "...the Carducci Quartet made an impressive showing in the textural and formal intricacies of Dutilleux's intricately structured Ainsi La Nuit...Standards are regularly so high in these concerts their technical excellence can be taken for granted, but even so, the Carducci's security in giving the first London performance of Gyorgy Kurtag's Six Moments Musicaux, and the premiere of Three Short Pieces for String Quartet by Michael Zev Gordon, was striking." The Guardian "The Carducci String Quartet astonished with their ability and maturity...and gave a fine performance of Kurtag's Moments Musicaux, the London premiere..." The Independent "In the early-evening recital the Carducci String Quartet were stunning in the quicksilver mood changes and creepy atmosphere of Kurtag's Six Moments Musicaux, with its spooky harmonics and desperately sad, almost nihilistic, ending. They are clearly musicians of high intelligence." The Times "The PLG Young Artists week 2006 got off to a magnificent start in an international programme, with two groups and a solo pianist who all came up to proof and fulfilled high expectations. The Carducci String Quartet had honed their accounts of new miniatures by Kurtag and Dutilleux's now very popular Ainsi la nuit to a high pitch of refinement; totally secure in harmonics and pianissimo. In Horowitz's quartet for the Amadeus Quartet (1969) they had an opportunity to show that they are equally at home in high romanticism." Musical Pointers "It was the young Carducci String Quartet that gave an impressive Ainsi. The Carducci won the 2004 Finland International Chamber Music competition in Kuhmo and this is indeed an impressive ensemble. The opening 'Nocturne' of Ainsi was characterized by real beauty of sound and a lyric undercurrent that went on to underpin the entire performance. More, they understood Dutilleux' world very well indeed, clearly enjoying the more veiled sections as well as the more angular, even angry ones. The London premiere of Kurtág's Six Moments musicaux, Op. 44 of 2005 preceded this, proving perfect in its own right. Kurtág's micro-world is endlessly fascinating, and these six pieces emerged as six little jewels. Interestingly, the composer marks the fourth piece ('In memoriam Gyorgy Sebok) to be played 'as if from another world', an instruction that could easily apply to several other movements, particularly the harmonic-prevaded fifth ('Rappel des oiseaux'). The Carducci Quartet really can make tiny fragments speak volumes." www.musicweb-international.com "The excellent Carducci String Quartet..." The Sunday Times "In PLG’s 50th-anniversary season, this latest ‘week’ could not have got off to a better start. The Carducci String Quartet gave a very impressive recital, the four musicians each articulate and influential and unanimous and equable. Two elder-statesmen composers were heard first, György Kurtág, 80 this year, and Henri Dutilleux, 90; both men are masters of exquisite perfectionism, the Carducci equally masterly of dynamics, colour and texture...The Carducci Quartet left a big impression, a group that will no doubt grace London’s recital rooms on numerous future occasions." Colin Anderson www.classicalsource.com "...the best of the nation's young professional talent...the Carducci String Quartet included Dutilleux's evocative Ainsi la nuit and Gordon's new, well-imagined Three Short Pieces in their early evening recital, along with Joseph Horovitz's fifth quartet. The playing was alive and carefully nuanced in all these pieces and in Kurtag's 6 exquisite Moments musicaux, op.44, music where not a sound is superfluous." London Evening Standard Other ReviewsMusical Opinion "..The programme began with a stylish account of Haydn's Quartet op.20/4, full of life and energy....the sonority was attractively warm and rich with lots of subtle dovetailing. The ensemble was also superbly coordinated in the minuet and trio and bristling finale...." Malcolm Miller, Ensemble "Although I have heard many performances and by distinguished quartets, I have never heard a finer one than the Carducci's" Graham Whettam (String Quartet No.1) "What an outstanding achievement to get inside the skin of three such different masterpieces and play them all to perfection. Judging by this performance it ranks among the finest I have heard in Pitville Pump Room in the past 30 years" Ronald Kay, Gloucestershire Echo "All four members have a great musical and technical gift. It is a beautifully balanced quartet" Sigmund Nissel, Amadeus Quartet "..the Quartet's musicianship, technical ability and maturity provided the perfect platform to mark the association's celebrations." Review of Mid Argyll Arts Association 21st anniversary concert in 2004 |