Instrument: Viola

The Takács Quartet and friends pair string sextets by Tchaikovsky and Brahms at Wigmore Hall.

The gut strings and period bows of the Chiaroscuro Quartet cast dramatic light and shade movements on from Bach's The Art of Fugue and quartets by Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn.

There was a palpable sense of communion during a performance bringing these great musicians together at Carnegie Hall for the first time. 

A performance that sacrificed a degree of Gallic fragrance in its pursuit of precision.

Rafael Payare, in his first appearance with the RPO, has musical encounters with Don Juan and Don Quixote, and a Mozart symphony provides a suitable contrast.

Julius Drake, Krzysztof Chorzelski and Mark Padmore contributed their notable gifts of piano, viola and voice respectively in a very special, often heartfelt fundraising evening for two music education charities. 

Ébène Quartet’s musical ebb and flow brings to mind Proust’s words to Fauré, that he was “intoxicated by his music”.