A concert of masterworks from Ensemble 360 and guests

By Phil Parker, 23 May 2025

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“turbulent, tender, impassioned and, by the end, ecstatic”

Reviewed at Crucible Playhouse, Sheffield on 22 May 2025

Shostakovich, Prelude and scherzo for string octet, Op.11

Mozart, Quintet in E flat major for Piano and Winds, K452

Poulenc, Oboe Sonata, FP 185

Schoenberg, Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), Op.4

Ensemble 360

Members of the Elias String Quartet

A constellation of quartets end the East Neuk Festival

Simon Thompson, 29th June

Sixteen of the finest string players around join forces on one stage to end the East Neuk Festival in a grand finale.

****1

Elias String Quartet launches Beethoven cycle in Tokyo

Nahoko Gotoh, 3rd June

Making their long-awaited debut in Japan, the Elias String Quartet embarks on the complete Beethoven cycle with a contrasting programme of early and late quartets.

*****

Audacious and captivating Schubert

Nick Boston, 4th September

Alice Neary and the Elias Quartet display the full emotional range in a captivating performance of Schubert's String Quintet to close the BBC Proms Chamber Music series at Cadogan Hall.

*****

Haydn, Mendelssohn, Britten... and passing seagulls

Katy S. Austin, 21st February

The classy Elias String Quartet brighten the morning with enjoyable Haydn and Mendelssohn, but Britten doesn't sit quite right.

***11

Accomplished renditions of Haydn, Beethoven and Hindson from the Elias String Quartet in Sydney

David Larkin, 19th August

Musica Viva claims to be the largest presenter of chamber music in the world, and in the last few years, they have brought world-renowned ensembles to Australia such as the Takács and Tokyo Quartets, as well as many exciting newer groups such as the Pacifica Quartet.

****1

The Elias String Quartet begin their Beethoven cycle at Turner Sims

Edward Whitney, 27th November

Music fans love to get the whole picture. We consume box-sets, bootlegs, alternate takes, and artist interviews – all in the name of completeness. Some people say a good CD library should have at least three Eroicas and five Fifths to be complete, while music magazines might recommend more. Of course, live music venues have their own shot at completeness when they schedule a “cycle”.

****1

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Phil Parker

Phil is a retired A-level English teacher who is now able to devote his life to things he really wants to do with his time. These include, but are not limited to: writing short fiction (his first collection, Girl with Fan, was published in late 2023), singing, creating programme notes for his choir’s concerts, volunteering, cooking, reading, and attending all home games at his beloved Manchester City. Alongside these is listening to classical music (live, on disc and on the radio), a lifetime’s love of which was sparked at the age of 11 when he discovered Haydn.

Mozart to Poulenc in a concert of masterworks from Ensemble 360 and guests