Tuesday 10th November 2009: The Wihan Quartet

Programme:

Panufnik: Cavatina and Moravian Dance
Dvorak: String Quartet in D minor Op34
Schubert: String Quartet 15 in G, D887

The Wihan Quartet, formed in 1985, are heirs to the great Czech musical tradition. The Quartet's outstanding reputation for the interpretation of its native Czech heritage and of the many classical, romantic and modern masterpieces of the string quartet repertoire is widely acknowledged.

They have developed an impressive international career, which includes visits to major festivals in Europe and the Far East . They visit the United States and Japan regularly and have had highly acclaimed tours of Australia and New Zealand . They are frequent visitors to the UK and can often be heard on BBC Radio 3 as well as in concert at Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, the South Bank and many other venues throughout the country.

Reviews:

“The integration of the ensemble is stunning... intonation is a joy in itself... utterly natural musicianship” - Pittsburgh Tribune

"Retaining its founding members, it is an ideally balanced quartet with immaculate rapport...the playing is excellent...perfect articulation and intonation....sparkles with life" - The Strad

".... Chamber Music doesn't get more emotional than this very often." - Los Angeles Times

"....the performance of Dvorak's Quartet No 9 in D minor was a revelation. I have never heard the quartet performed with such passion and emotional depth...there were times when the intensity of the musicians came close to generating a symphonic breadth and power that is rarely heard in chamber music." - Kentish Times

"I cannot remember so auspicious a musical discovery since I first heard the teenage Yo-Yo Ma." - The Strad

"The ensemble was magnificent, a beautiful rounded sonority with a perfect balance in all four voices and displaying virtuosity and unusual sensitivity." - Notes en Echo, Paris

"From the outset, it was clear that, with the Wihan String Quartet, we were in the presence of an outstanding group of musicians who, by their brilliance and sensitivity, bring to their audience an extraordinary and revealing insight into the passion, intensity and beauty of the music of their native land." - The Strad