"Stunning quartet woos its audience"

Carducci String Quartet

Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury

Shropshire Star - 22 Apr 2008

The Shropshire Music Trust series of concerts given by the Carducci String Quartet continued on Sunday afternoon in the Lion Hotel Ballroom, Shrewsbury, with early works by Haydn and Vaughan-Williams together with Beethoven's Razumovsky Quartet No 1.

This highly regarded quartet bring a new life to the classical repertoire with fiery attack when needed while still able to make the strings whisper on a single bow-hair.

The Hungarian gypsy influence in Haydn's quartet Op20 No4 came through effectively with some reafly delicate dynamic contrasts.

In Vaughan Williams's first quartet the Carducci's comprehension of the work showed this as a truly English piece of work and Matthew Denton's introduction brought the audience into their vision of the piece.

Beethoven's first Razumovsky quartet demands much of each player and it was in this that cellist Emma Denton and Eoin Schmidt-Martin, viola, came fully into their own.

Matthew Denton and Michelle Fleming, violins, played with impeccable timing and rapport.

The next music trust concert is on April 27, with Fine Arts Brass in Drayton Festival Centre, Market Drayton

Richard Duncan

Last Updated : 27/04/2008