Belcea Quartet, Wigmore Hall - review

Last night's programme followed the tried and tested pattern: an early Haydnesque quartet, a mould-breaking middle-period work and a late masterpiece. No objections there, especially as each category was so judiciously characterised.   

The B flat Quartet, op. 18 no.6, was bursting with wit, lyricism and elegance of style; rhythms were buoyant, ensemble flawless and the overlapping dialogues seamless. Notable, too, was the acerbic tinge with which the finale's introduction (La Malinconia - Melancholy, but with a twist) was imbued.  

The abrasive concision of op. 95 in F minor (Serioso) was equally persuasive. No holds barred in the working out of the initial angry motif but warmth and tenderness, where called for. Indeed, the counterpoise of psychological insecurity and equanimity could scarcely have been better served.

With the quasi-orchestral opening of the E flat Quartet, op. 127, we are in different territory and the Belceas rose to the occasion. The greater emotional weight that those expansive opening chords give rise to was admirably projected. In the Adagio variations, that great hymn to idealism, the transcendental was first glimpsed but the rarefied atmosphere of the work's coda was also beautifully conjured. The challenge of these late quartets is to invoke the visionary without loss of coherence, a balancing act performed to perfection by this outstanding ensemble.

* Radio 3, December 11.

Belcea Quartet
Wigmore Hall
W1U 2BP