The Endellion String Quartet - Cambridge Series 2012-2013

Haydn's Op 50 No 5 is full of charm, comedy and vitality and also includes a slow movement aptly nicknamed 'The Dream' - it wanders slowly and hypnotically in a peaceful daze. Bartok's Fourth Quartet is a tour de force and one if his most extrovert and compelling pieces. It has two wild and exciting outer movements and a beautiful slow central movement which speaks and sings in very fast East European accents. This is framed by two short, quick movements, one of them very virtuosic. The programme is completed by Mozart's lovely final quartet, the last of the Prussian set, with an almost unique concertante style of writing for all four instruments, which gives the piece a distinct and unusual freshness.