Classical review: The Edinburgh Quartet, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh

THERE’S a magical passage in Haydn’s aptly named Bird Quartet, which opened the Edinburgh Quartet’s nicely balanced concert, where the foursome’s two violinists are left alone to warble a trilling serenade to each other, like two songbirds in a cage.

The Edinburgh Quartet

Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh

***

It proved a beautifully lyrical (if rather understated) way for first violinist Tristan Gurney to welcome Gordon Bragg in his first official concert as the ensemble’s new second violinist.

But despite a perky performance of the Haydn quartet, with airy textures and a deliciously throwaway ending, understatement seemed to be the order of the evening. Even here, the first movement sometimes veered dangerously close to salon music, although the strangely solemn scherzo was marvellously husky.

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The foursome’s account of the Britten Third Quartet – one of the composer’s final works, and a piece of great passion and economy – was darkly lyrical right from the start, and the special attention they paid to the composer’s subtle details made their performance at once fragile and forceful. A certain coolness notwithstanding, Gurney found a strange magic in the third movement’s violin solo, but despite cellist Mark Bailey’s exquisite opening solo, the final movement’s slowly unfolding passacaglia sounded workmanlike rather than revelatory.

The Brahms A minor Quartet that ended the concert was restless and beautifully phrased, with a gloriously stomping, folksy finale, but again it felt like we were waiting for the players to really let rip. These were performances to sit back and admire, rather than ones to be truly gripped by.

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