Special offer. Schubert: Quartet 15
Artea Quartet
The vast plains of Schubert’s opening movement unfold at an unhurried pace, which is not a problem if the reading is sufficiently gripping. But there were times when In hankered after more forward...
Special offer. Schubert: Quartet 15
Artea Quartet
Purchase product
The vast plains of Schubert’s opening movement unfold at an unhurried pace, which is not a problem if the reading is sufficiently gripping. But there were times when In hankered after more forward...
About
The Artea Quartet comprises Thomas Gould - violin, Rhys Watkins - violin, Benjamin Roskams - viola and Ashok Klouda – cello.
The members of the Artea quartet met whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2001. After studies with the Amadeus, Alberni and Wihan quartets they went on to forge a successful career, winning many awards and performing at festivals throughout the U.K. including the BBC Proms, and at venues such as the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room as well as live broadcasts for BBC Radio 3.
With busy solo and orchestral careers, this new recording represents a rare opportunity to hear them in the studio, and the repertoire reflects their desire to take on a challenge: one of the summits of the repertoire, Schubert’s last great String Quartet in G major, No 15. "It is a piece of such enormous scope and exquisite beauty that it is an intimidating peak of the repertoire to scale. It is a sobering thought that Schubert was the same age as us, if not slightly younger, when he composed it.” It was published posthumously in 1851.
"After hearing this magnificent recording, you'll be assured of the future of string quartets..." "...intense musical discourse, lyricism, and swashbuckling virtuosity…" The German Record Critics’ Award.
Contents and tracklist
- Artea Quartet
Awards and reviews
February 2018
The vast plains of Schubert’s opening movement unfold at an unhurried pace, which is not a problem if the reading is sufficiently gripping. But there were times when In hankered after more forward impetus…The Artea’s account is at the opposite end of the spectrum to the Belcea’s, so if you find that too raw by half, then this might be more to your taste.
4th January 2018
Schubert’s vast G-major work ranks alongside Beethoven’s late quartets as one of the supreme achievements in the repertory, and it’s certainly a bold choice for the Artea, one which by and large they justify quite convincingly.
It’s not a performance, though, that plumbs the depths of this searching, sometimes forbidding work as profoundly as it might.
