STRIDING purposefully to the stage at Newcastle University's King's Hall, The Fine Arts Quartet were a picture of pure refinement.
And their immaculate silver hair was matched with experienced flair as they proceeded to deliver one of the most dazzling concerts in the Newcastle International Chamber Music Series.
Champions of contemporary music, the quartet from the US launched with a seamless account of Shostakovich's String Quartet 7. It was obvious that they were intimately versed with the score and the composer's sardonic wit was conveyed with biting edge. Playing a Dohnanyi string quartet, they drew out lush string work with exquisite pizzicato passages from cellist Wolfgang Laufer. The technical demands of Philip Glass' String Quartet No 2 were met with ease in a piece which pulsated with life. In a concession to the Romantics, the quartet weighed in with Mendelssohn's String Quartet 1; a seemingly interminable piece which was performed with heartfelt conviction and captivated throughout. The audience lifted the rafters. They were rewarded with two sprightly encores: a quirky Italian waltz by Alfredo Cassella and a whirlwind polka from Shostakovich, which drew smiles all round. A memory to savour.
* The Merel Quartet will perform at King's Hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday, December 1.
Published: 05/11/2004
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