Virtuoso Quartet
The Virtuoso String Quartet was a British quartet, founded by the Gramophone Company (better known as HMV) in 1924 [1] to be the first such quartet established specifically for recording.[2] In effect they displaced the Catterall Quartet from their position recording for HMV.[3]
Marjorie Hayward led them for the 15 years of their life. Raymond Jeremy and Cedric Sharpe previously performed in the Philharmonic Quartet.
Personnel
- Marjorie Hayward, first violin
- Edwin Virgo, second violin
- Raymond Jeremy, viola
- Cedric Sharpe, cello
Concerts
1926/10: The first Bradford Festival of Chamber Music.[4] Brahms sextet op36; Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
1926/12/11: St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Debussy quartet G minor; Mozart quartet in E flat (K.v. 428) [5]
1927/6: John B. McEwen: two quartets
1927/10: Second Bradford Festival
1927/9/28, 1927/10/12&26: Aeolian Hall, London
1927: Wigmore Hall, London. Bax: Quartet 2, Oboe quintet, Piano quintet [6]
1928/3/13, Town Hall, Chelsea: Chelsea Music Club 36th concert [7]
1928/10/23: Town Hall, Oxford: Ravel [8]
1928/11/22: Town Hall, Oxford
1930/3/26 Wigmore Hall: Bax [9]
1930 As part of the Celtic Congress, University College concert hall, London; concert included work by John McCormack, the Welsh soprano Megan Foster, and the cellist, Beatrice Harrison [10]
Acoustic recordings (4 sets; all premiere recordings)
Beethoven: no 8, E minor (Op. 59/2): late 1924
Tchaikovsky Quartet 1 in D, Op. 11: 1923
Franck: String Quartet in D: Premiere recording (1925) [11]
Bridge Three Idylls: 1923.[12]
Electrical recordings (6 sets and some singles)
Ravel: quartet; Introduction and Allegro with John Cockerill, harpist.
Borodin: Nocturne
Debussy: Quartet G minor
Beethoven: No.9 in C Op.59/3
Beethoven: No.6 in Bb Op.18/6.
Glazounov: Orientale: 1928
Thomas: Mignon Gavotte 1928; HMV B 2784 [13]
Press Notices
"From the London station [BBC] we have had many good things during the past month, the pick being the Virtuoso Quartet in Mozart and Debussy…" [14]
"Good as these Budapest party records are [Haydn op76/1, HMV D1075-7], they are beaten all round by those of the Virtuoso Quartet in Debussy's G minor… For vividness and sonority this is surely among the finest achievements of the [Gramophone] Company".[15]
"… distinguished themselves as virile performers of Beethoven… put up so excellent a show [in Ravel]" [16]
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Ibbs and Tillett: the rise and fall of a musical empire By Christopher Fifield; Ashgate, 2005
- ^ http://www.nzetc.org/tei-source/JCB-013.xml
- ^ Programme: Arnold Bax Recital, Oct 20, 1927
- ^ http://www.concertprogrammes.org.uk/html/search/verb/GetRecord/4191
- ^ http://www.concertprogrammes.org.uk/html/search/verb/GetRecord/5110
- ^ http://www.concertprogrammes.org.uk/html/search/verb/GetRecord/4181
- ^ http://www.celtic-congress.org/cc-hist-kiernan.html
- ^ http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.classical.recordings/browse_thread/thread/737b1f691b7fb8b9/a539cc76967f7746?lnk=gst&q=virtuoso+string+quartet#a539cc76967f7746
- ^ http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.classical.recordings/browse_thread/thread/5872f1cbefb98ee8/ab16f7a23a618a3a?lnk=gst&q=virtuoso+string+quartet#ab16f7a23a618a3a
- ^ Musical Times, Dec 1, 1928, p1091
- ^ Musical Times Oct 1 1925 p919
- ^ Musical Times May 1, 1926, p431
- ^ Musical Times, Dec 1, 1931, p1100
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