Belcea Quartet

Haydn: Quartet in E flat (Op.33 No.2) 'Joke' and Quartet in B flat (Op.1 No.1); Janácek: Quartet No.2 'Intimate letters'; Britten: String quartet No.2; Debussy: String quartet; Brahms: String quartet in C minor (Op.51 No.1)
Performers Belcea Quartet
Venue Queen's Hall
Address Clerk Street, Edinburgh
Reviewer Kenny Morrison

It is no surprise that the Belcea Quartet have been given residency at the Wigmore Hall. Their debut disc, which came out a couple of months ago was an absolute delight, and this, their Edinburgh Festival debut, is by far the best thing I have seen so far. There is such character about them for such a young quartet. Each player's voice is brought out beautifully: the leader is very much the leader, with virtuosic skill and such exquisite tone; the second a very different player, complementing the first line perfectly; and such moments of beauty from the middle and bass parts. I was really quite overcome.

They began with Haydn, the 'Joke' Quartet, a fine piece. It's good to see a young, new quartet playing traditional repertoire, when so often they have a great interest in playing very deliberately 'new' music, which can go against them. It was played with panache, and with an impressive understanding of Haydn's tehniques in his later quartets.

They then went on to Janacek's second of his two quartets. I didn't know the piece at all, but their playing of it made me go out and buy a CD immediately. They are signed to EMI, and their next disc will be Janacek, which I wait for excitedly. This piece, about intimate letters that Janacek sent to and received from his mistress had such fire in their hands. A wonderful interpretation.

The Britten was another piece with which I was not terribly familiar, and though I felt that its inclusion in this programme was a little odd, it was given the entire second half, and stood out rather than showing up. Again, I thought their playing was faultless. I really could have listened to them all day.

This quartet will go very far. See them now!

© Kenny Morrison 20 August 2001