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The Telegraph

With a programme of Mozart, Mendelssohn and Beethoven, the world's classiest quartet
can make a season of old music seem vividly alive

By Ivan Hewett and John Allison

Their concert was a reminder that sheer virtuosity - both individual and collective - is a delight in itself. The dry acoustic of the JW3's hall was a challenge for them in slow movements, but in fast movements like the will-of-the-wisp Trio of the Canzonetta in Mendelssohn's 1st quartet they danced joyously on elfin feet. Thanks to the perfect balance and razor-sharp co-ordination some things shone with new clarity without having to be highlighted, like the witty way the two violins shared the melody with the cello in the trio of Mozart's 1st "Prussian" Quartet - so-called because the very taxing cello part was written for the King of Prussia.

November 26, 2023

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