The cream of London’s string players turned out to hear the Orion Quartet of New York in early and late Beethoven — Op 18 No 3, Op 130 and Op 135 — at the opening concert in the Beethoven Unwrapped season.

This is a new kind of programming with which Kings Place could make a mark: the complete piano sonatas, piano trios, songs and, as here, string quartets, played in week-long chunks over several months. Last night there were empty seats but word will spread.

This fine ensemble, in which violinist brothers Daniel and Todd Phillips miraculously share the role of leader, has inspired a generation of top players. Their sound is resonant but not over-sleek, rich in vibrato but transparent in texture. Cellist Timothy Eddy has the relaxed physicality all musicians envy. Violist Steven Tenenbom may look disengaged but played out eloquently in his leads. If the third Op 18 sounded slightly edgy, the two late works were secure and involving. The slow movement of Op 130 revealed the bizarre mysteries and organic growth of Beethoven’s masterpiece in the medium.
The Kings Place experience is still novel: upstairs, the violin E string had a metallic, tinny glare. Downstairs, the sound became warm, integrated and almost scarily alive.
Beethoven Unwrapped
(www.kingsplace.co.uk)