RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet Concert Reviews“It is a pity that Aldeburgh and Spitalfields festivals coincide, for both are imaginative, characterful entities that deserve to be experienced as wholes. Each combines rootedness in a locality and musical tradition with a cosmopolitan outlook and the assiduous cultivation of musical shoots. It was a delight, for instance, to catch the RTE Vanbrugh Quartet playing Tippett and late Beethoven, with a work by the Irish composer Jane O’Leary, in the intimacy of Wilton’s Music Hall, the most expressively dilapidated building in London.”The Times "A performance (of Bartok 3) of thrilling conviction ... In this masterly account (of Beethoven Op.127) the Vanbrugh Quartet gave every indication of a second decade no less distinctive than its first." The Times on the Vanbrugh Quartet's Tenth Anniversary Concert at the Wigmore Hall "The Vanbrugh can boast not only technical security and a marvellous unanimity of intent, but also a remarkable insight into the music they play ... a performance full of deft strokes of light and shade, its tempos beautifully judged and its rhythms charged with buoyancy" The Times "Particularly excellent was their account of Dvorak's American Quartet, in which the blending and the ensemble was outstanding, and the interpretation alive, original and interesting" The Birmingham Post "In Beethoven's second Razumovsky Quartet, the qualities of precision, rapport, spontaneity and well-judged instrumental balance all seemed to come together in a performance of arresting rhythmic vibrancy and sustained lyrical eloquence." The Daily Telegraph "As prelude, Mozart's D major Quartet K499 was played with the same alert response to every harmonic inflection, whether in the suavity of the faster movements, or the tender lyricism of the adagio." Glasgow Herald "The Vanbrugh Quartet played Debussy with scrupulous attention to the whirring under-rhythms which allow the melodies to float and fly - and Bartok, the frightening, grinding third quartet, which they made sound brave, tough and rippled with risk." The Scotsman " A group that is without a doubt one of the best around ... The Vanbrugh's qualities of unanimity and insight were evident in their performance of Haydn's Quartet Op. 76/1 which opened the evening. A warm-hearted and spirited reading ... and of Janacek Quartet no 2 ... The Vanbrugh Quartet completely captured the spirit of visionary exaltation of this unique work, and succeeded in linking the abrupt changes of mood and the seemingly improvisatory structure inside an uninterrupted sense of burning tension, as if conjuring up the images of a tortured mind ... In confirmation of the quality of these players, and of their ability to adapt with ease to different composers and different styles, there followed a limpid performance of Debussy's quartet, which, in the vivid clarity of its contours, and the airy brilliance of its textures, came across more as a revelation of an original and modern poetic world than as a prolonging of a turgid and affected Franck-inspired romanticism. The concert was greeted with the acclaim it deserved, and finished to great applause with two magnificent encores by Beethoven and Haydn." La Nazione "The Vanbrugh Quartet's playing is refined and perfectly balanced; their sound is polished and even, yet full of subtlety, growing to produce great power, and thinning to fine pianissimi; their rhythm is accurate and full of life, and musical characters are clearly defined; energetic passage work and singing lines are equally under control ... one of the most charming performances of the (Kuhmo) festival: the elegant precision of the musicians created a fascinating feeling of life in the work, and a joyful momentum ... the whole timbre of the Vanbrugh Quartet was the most beautiful we have heard so far in the festival." Helsinki Sanomat "The four members of the Vanbrugh are perfectly balanced both musically and temperamentally and form a perfect unity. Their superb musicality, above all, gives their playing urgency and depth." Der Bund, Switzerland "The Vanbrugh Quartet have a natural, engaging and unpretentious style, with a secure technique and an innate feel for the natural ebb and flow of musical lines. Breathing as one, they regulate the dynamic and lyric tensions with a natural grace." The Washington Post "The Vanbrugh Quartet were in quite sensational form for a performance of overwhelming expression and almost unparalleled excitement of Janacek's Second String Quartet ... that the Vanbrugh have just as much to offer when it comes to the less emotionally charged Viennese classics was proved in their performance of the G major quartet by Haydn, which was extremely refined, and at the same time most expressive, the fast movements full of life ... The Vanbrugh Quartet made a great impression with their energetic performance of Beethoven's F minor Quartet, Op 95, which magnificently captured the "serioso" atmosphere of the work." Aachener Volkszeitung "The Vanbrugh Quartet opened the evening with Janacek's Quartet No.2, "Intimate Letters". Although the writing is disciplined, it demands playing full of passion and of reckless waves. The Quartet gave total commitment to the composer's wishes, and excelled in the creation of immense tension and excitement. For me it was the discovery of the evening..." (Orlando Festival) Limburgs Dagblad, The Netherlands "Tempests continued in Beethoven's Op. 130, where the Vanbrugh String Quartet gave a vigorous interpretation of the ruthless titan's savage genius: a wonderful achievement of strength and stamina. In comparison everything will seem paltry." Sydsvenska Dagbladet, Sweden "A performance of beautiful sound quality that formed a perfect whole..." Kainuun Sanomat, Finland "The Vanbrugh Quartet's return visit to the Wigmore Hall on April 6 triumphantly affirmed their position as one of the finest young quartets around... The Vanbrugh combines a unanimity of ensemble which can only come from long hours of working together with the freshness of sound and spontaneity of interpretation that are their hallmarks" The Strad, London and New York |