Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | String Quartet no. 3, Sz. 85

A programme consisting of works from three different centuries illustrated the French ensemble's versatility and acumen. 

The Doric String Quartet plays all six of Béla Bartók's quartets in one day at this year's Aldeburgh Festival.

The quartet focus on composers' efforts to integrate folkloric elements into classical music structures in their recital in Alice Tully Hall.

For their performance in the barn-like structure, the Eschers proposed several remakable pieces not standardly performed.

No perceivable whiff of ennui from the Hagen Quartet, whose four members truly play like a single organism.

A well-balanced programme drew a large crowd to Wigmore Hall for a diet of high fibre Beethoven, crunchy Bartók and, joined by young Russian pianist Anna Vinnitskaya, Schumann’s delicious Piano Quintet.

An astonishing performance of the Bartók string quartets by the Takács Quartet in Cleveland left our reviewer, Tim hard pressed to imagine better. The players found moments of beauty in these difficult works.

One notable absentee from the Southbank Centre’s celebration of the post-war avant garde earlier this month was Jean Barraqué, a composer whose tiny catalogue of works, whilst not as well known as those of his contemporaries, is a vivid reminder of just how diverse the period was stylistically.

After a week of big orchestras and big works, Musikfest Berlin took a breath by returning to the Kammermusiksaal at the midway mark of the festival.

More than 40 years ago, violist Kazuhide Isomura got together with three other Japanese students at the Juilliard School of Music in Manhattan and formed the Tokyo String Quartet. After touring the globe for upward of 4,000 performances, more than 40 for Music Toronto, with 40 albums and nearly 40 years of teaching at Yale, last night, Mr Isomura played his final Music Toronto concert.

Violin virtuoso James Ehnes gave a concert of works by Béla Bartók on May 28th at the Montreal Chamber Music Festival. Just the day before, Ehnes had performed an equally challenging program of completely different repertoire - works by Ravel (the duo, the trio, and the quartet). Both performances were of the highest quality, and showcased a performer with unparalleled command of his instrument.

The Wigmore Hall on July 13th was The Jupiter Quartet’s only UK appearance on their America-based Summer tour. They used the opportunity to showcase the innovations which occurred within the String Quartet repertoire through the twentieth century , ending with a homage to the form’s Classical peak.

Fünfzig Jahre Takács Quartet: in Bad Tölz gestalteten sie mit Haydn, Bartók und Debussy eine Sternstunde der Streichquartett-Kunst.

De Haydn à Schubert via un détour par Bartók, le quatuor français a proposé une véritable leçon de musique de chambre et d'interprétation.

El conjunto francés aborda la integral de cuartetos de Bartók con madurez y solvencia técnica y muestran la interesante evolución creativa del compositor húngaro.

Un Beethoven unique, un Bartók franchement abstrait : rien n'arrête la recherche d'originalité des Hagen. Accompagnés de Kirill Gerstein, ils sont moins convaincants dans un Schumann un peu trop froid.

Le Quatuor Diotima continue son intégrale Bartók à la Maison de la Radio avec les quatuors n° 3 et 5, accompagnés du Quatuor n° 14 « La Jeune Fille et la Mort » de Schubert.

Les Diotima ne se sont pas fait la partie belle : quel pari exorbitant que de vouloir jouer en une seule soirée l’intégrale des Quatuors de Bartók ! D’aucuns auraient pensé que ce qu’ont tenté les quatre musiciens était perdu d’avance...